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~ CheckOut2TheWorld ~

Sarah Jennings, Frank van den Berg, Amanda Sizer Barret, MBE,
Chief Executive Officer, Managing Director, Salesupply UK Director General, Gardenex, the
Oban International & Managing Director, InfinityBlue federation of Garden and Leisure
Marketplaces Manufacturers Limited

decorate their homes. Preferences and trends in interior style information is the key and that’s where Gardenex can help.
differ by region – an obvious example being that Scandi-style
is associated with simple colours, textures and a stripped-back For us as Brits it is good to know how much this country is re-
aesthetic, whereas countries in the Middle East embrace a richer, spected for its gardening and leisure heritage. That gives British
more detailed, assertive style. Curating your product to suit the suppliers ready to provide excellent customer service a head start
tastes of the local market is a challenge, but with the help of lo- in selling internationally.
cal in-market experts, the potential rewards are enormous.
Frank van den Berg
The brands which prosper are those who truly take the time to The importance to cater for local expectations stretches of course
understand the authentic on-the-ground cultural insights that to the customer service solutions you put in place – telephone
shape how your offering will be perceived by market, and provid- email and chat support by local native speakers maximises
ing an online user journey tailored to each market. That’s the big conversion rates and loyalty. Find an international operating
opportunity, and one that using local in-market experts will help third-party ‘pay as you go’ solution and this possibility is afford-
you grasp. able for SMEs also.

Amanda Sizer Barrett On the logistics side customer expectations on delivery time are
The UK gardening sector has seen increasing interest in our gar- undoubtedly shortening so storage (at least of popular SKUs)
dening and leisure products from international trade buyers in in or close to market is increasingly important. When working
recent years. The online share of sales has been expanding rapidly with bulky items make sure you budget for two men delivery
in markets across the world, via mail order or brick and mortar and check the local practices for curb-side delivery all the way to
retailers extending their own online offering, and also increas- in-home assembly.
ingly because of the rise in online marketplaces.
As to marketplaces, generic platforms like Amazon, Walmart
Some online marketplaces may cut across more traditional and Rakuten have strong home and garden sections, while some
established distributor relationships; you may find the product is niche marketplaces like ManoMano (market leader in DIY in
being advertised and sold at a price outside your control; dealing France), luxury marketplace Chairish and handmade market-
with issues such as language, logistics and customer service can place Etsy, are taking advantage of the growth in the home and
seem daunting. These are just a few of the aspects to evaluate. If garden sectors. They are worth having a look at. ••
you’re aware of the challenges, you can often build the solutions
into the deal.

Different markets have different rules and regulations, so we ad- For more information on the best route to market, overcoming
vise all the exporters to conduct research on the different aspects challenges and making the most of opportunities, download the
of international sales to different countries. Some markets have CheckOut4HomeandGarden Guide to selling home and garden products
additional electric testing, product safety and labelling regula- around the world online at https://www.checkout2theworld.com/
tions; others have specific packaging requirements; climates whitepaper-download/
and gardening cultures may be totally different... again, accurate

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