How do you grow an ecommerce business?
You’ve probably seen a good deal of successful ecommerce business stories, where an entrepreneurial store owner went from zero to nine figures in annual revenue and expanded their business to 130+ countries.
Now, you want to do the same.
In this article, we’ll reverse-engineer the success of ecommerce businesses that had modest beginnings but cracked the code of hypergrowth. We’ll also equip you with valuable resources, strategic insights, and tips so that you can confidently grow your ecommerce business internationally.
Grow an ecommerce business internationally with SMART goals
A common mistake aspiring business owner make is to be impatient. But to grow your ecommerce business internationally, you need a plan. And not just any plan, but the one that helps you stay focused, track progress, and achieve sustainable growth.
A good plan turns vague ideas into achievable steps and has SMART goals, so let’s first cover this part.
Let’s imagine that you want to grow your ecommerce business to serve customers in the UK. Below you can see what are ill-defined goals with an explanation of why they miss the mark.
| Example of a bad goal | Explanation |
| Increase sales in the UK | The goal is too vague as it doesn’t specify how much you want to increase sales, or when you want to achieve it |
| Expand the business to the UK market | Lacks measurable outcomes, deadlines, and clarity on how you’ll handle market expansion |
| Attract more UK customers | Lacks specificity and a clear timeline |
Now let’s see what would be well-defined goals:
- Increase monthly sales revenue in the UK by 20% within the next 6 months using social media campaigns and influencer partnerships
- Gain 500 new UK customers within the next 3 months by optimizing product listings and allocating an additional 10% of the marketing budget to local SEO
- Increase repeat purchases from UK customers by 15% in the next 12 months by launching a loyalty program
These goals are specific in targeting growth areas (e.g., revenue, new customers), and have a clear time frame.
They’re also measurable, providing concrete targets like 20% revenue growth, 500 new customers, and a 15% increase in repeat purchases.
Lastly, they are actionable and realistic because they outline clear strategies like social media campaigns, local SEO, and loyalty programs.
🧠 It’s good to know
Improvisation and making decisions on the fly are going to be a part of your ecommerce business growth. No matter how well you craft your plan, it will likely need adjustments when faced with real-world challenges. This is especially true when dealing with unfamiliar territory, such as international ecommerce.
Does that mean you should skip creating it altogether? Of course not.
While the plan may evolve, it provides a foundation so you know where to start. Without it, you risk being reactive rather than proactive.
How to grow an ecommerce business following a plan
You can think of a growth plan as a bridge between where you are and where you want to be. At a very high level, it needs to cover four main areas:
- Market research and selection
- Localization and adaptation
- Logistics and supply chain
- Marketing and customer acquisition
Let’s go through each of these, step-by-step.
1. Market research and selection
A solid market entry begins with in-depth research. You need to identify good market opportunities by analyzing factors like demand, competition, and economic stability.
To paint the picture here, let’s look at a hypothetical business scenario.
Let’s say you’re selling sustainable eco-friendly home goods (e.g., bamboo furniture, biodegradable cleaning supplies) and you want to expand your ecommerce business into Germany.
Your challenges include fierce competition, the need for translation and localization, and navigating regulatory hurdles. You have an ambitious revenue goal of $500,000 within the first year of launching in Germany. Time to get your ducks in a row.
As you begin researching the German market, you learn a ton of things, to name a few:
- You have a strong product-market fit because Germany has a strong demand for sustainable and eco-friendly products
- Approximately 65% of German consumers are likely to buy products labeled as “eco-friendly,” and the average spend on home goods has increased post-pandemic (all good news for you)
- Smaller eco-friendly brands that are not your direct competitors (e.g., Avocado Store) have focused on local values, such as reducing packaging waste
- Localizing your website into German is a must, especially for product descriptions, customer service, and checkout (but that’s just one piece of the puzzle)
- Germany’s logistics infrastructure is highly developed, but managing shipping costs and taxes could be challenging
- In terms of marketing, CPC for Google Ads in Germany is lower than in the US, and this makes it an attractive market for paid search campaigns
It’s all about collecting information and doing a cost-benefit analysis before jumping into a new market.
📚Further reading
Check out our in-depth guide on starting a cross-border ecommerce business to learn more about strategic market selection.
2. Localization and adaptation
Localization is key to making your brand feel native to each new market. This includes translating your website and adapting product offerings to suit local preferences.
In the table below, you can see different types of localization efforts, following the hypothetical business scenario of a US eco-friendly brand entering the German market.
| Localization effort | Example |
| Language | Translate product descriptions for eco-friendly home goods into German, and make sure terms like “biodegradable” are culturally relevant |
| Payments and currency | Add SEPA Direct Debit and display prices in euros to cater to German customers |
| Cultural fit | Communicate the use of sustainable materials and minimal packaging |
| Compliance | Respect the German Packaging Act (VerpackG) and make sure the label clearly states sustainability certifications |
| Customer support | Offer German-language customer service and a flexible return policy |
To grow your ecommerce store internationally, you always have to think about the person sitting on the other side of the screen. Speaking their language is the bare minimum.
3. Logistics and supply chain
Thinking through the logistics and supply chain is critical for growing your ecommerce business internationally.
You have to realize that you’re competing with brands that have been present for years, maybe even decades. This means that, either your offer has to be extraordinarily unique, or your customer experience. If you can do both and optimize every touchpoint, then you’ll significantly increase your chances of success.
A great way to start is to partner with reputable shipping companies like DHL or UPS to ensure reliable global shipping. You might consider local shipping agencies once you’re more established in new markets. Another option is to set up fulfillment centers to reduce shipping times and costs.
For instance, offering local fulfillment in Germany could improve customer satisfaction due to faster delivery. It may even generate word of mouth, which is the type of marketing money can’t buy.
Whichever path you take, make sure the shipping process is transparent. Always include import duties and taxes, so customers don’t face unexpected costs at checkout (or worse, when they pick up their package).
4. Marketing and customer acquisition
Every market is unique. To ensure healthy growth of customers, you need a well-thought-out GTM strategy that will scale as your ecommerce business does.
To grow your international customer base, you need to make sure your marketing efforts are both targeted and localized. Start by adapting your SEO strategy to include relevant keywords to ensure good visibility in local search.
Depending on your budget, you can also run geo-targeted ad campaigns across popular platforms in your new markets (e.g., Google, Facebook). It might be a good idea to partner with local influencers who understand the preferences of your target audience and start building brand recognition and equity.
But instead of just naming marketing tactics, let’s look at a real-life example of a Shopify ecommerce that went through tremendous growth.
Ecommerce business growth lessons: Allbirds, valued at $1.4 billion
Allbirds, valued at $1.4 billion, offers several critical lessons for ecommerce business growth, especially for navigating different markets like the West and China. While the brand’s success in the West was driven by its minimalist design and eco-friendly ethos, its expansion into China was not that smooth.
Allbirds’ messaging centers around sustainability, comfort, and natural materials
How to grow an ecommerce business in China
Localization was a key factor in Allbirds’ China strategy. In Western markets, Allbirds’ message of sustainability and minimalist design struck a chord with environmentally-conscious consumers.
However, when entering China, the brand realized it needed to adjust its marketing. Chinese buyers were less swayed by sustainability alone and, instead, preferred to see how Allbirds’ products could fit into their lifestyle.
As a result, the brand adapted its marketing to showcase not just the shoes, but how they paired with apparel, aligning their imagery with local tastes. Slowly but truly, they started build a community around their brand.
Partnering with local ecommerce platforms
Another key part of Allbirds’ localization strategy was partnering with Tmall, a major ecommerce platform in China, to overcome the lack of brand awareness in the market. This helped Allbirds tap into a new consumer base and learn from local purchasing behaviors.
Allbirds’ store within the Tmall platform
The company also participated in major shopping festivals like Singles Day and 6.18, events that play a pivotal role in Chinese ecommerce.
Although Allbirds typically avoids discounts, they created limited-edition products and exclusive campaigns to generate buzz.
Understanding target customers to adjust messaging
In China, customer insights revealed that consumers viewed Allbirds’ shoes as a technological innovation rather than just a sustainable option.
This discovery led the brand to reposition itself as an innovative company, aligning its messaging with what local customers valued most.
They continued to refine their product and marketing strategies based on this ongoing feedback, a practice that has contributed to their global success.
Localization is key to international ecommerce growth
Localization isn’t just a strategic move. It’s the key to unlocking ecommerce growth on an international level.
Allbirds’ journey from a small startup to the most valued Shopify-powered ecommerce business, with a valuation of $1.4 billion, really shows just how critical it is to adapt to local consumer tastes and behavior.
If you want to follow in Allbirds’ footsteps and grow your ecommerce business internationally, start by removing the language barrier.
A tool like Lokalise can be a game-changer.
