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~ Welcome ~

FOREWORD

marketing efforts to facilitate purchases and the buyer journey.
Use omnichannels to engage, create content and use the right
channels and information for hyper-automated engagement
with customers, such as using a personalised ROI calculator
for a specific solution or website personalisation. Thus, to be
successful in 2021, it’s crucial for B2B and B2C start- & scale-
ups to get a solid grasp on, and efficient plan for, their online
strategy.

2. Riding the ‘international expansion’ wave
Research, research, research! Often, business owners
underestimate the complexity of expansion into other markets
and do not understand well enough that, if you overlook the
intricacies of a new market, it can prevent you from succeeding
there. Typically, failures during international expansion fall into
these categories:

LEARNING HOW TO “RIDE THE 1. Not being ready: Rushing in - without proper research and
WAVE” AND WIN NEW MARKETS preparation. Also, the right timing plays an important role.
2. Picking the wrong market - and not being able to retreat
without burning too many resources. Sunk cost fallacy alert!
020 - a year of changes, challenges, disruptions 3. One-size-fits-all approach: No localised go-to-market
- and learning how to ride the waters through strategy, missing local product-market-fit and not taking
2COVID-19. Since the pandemic, digital, different cultures into account.
e-commerce, delivery, and instant commerce businesses 4. Wrong organisational setup and not enough funding, which
have all boomed and thrived. Those companies who can lead to less sustainable growth than expected, and it all
have understood the new demand and shifted their might fall like a house of cards.
value propositions accordingly are able to succeed and
grow even faster. As an entrepreneur and international To avoid those mistakes and to de-risk your expansion, look at
expansion advisor, I will outline why it is important to how to adjust your business accordingly to the demands of the
understand what kind of trends your business needs new market, local culture and new trends. Just because certain
to adapt to, as well as how to prepare for international elements work in your home market, this does not mean that
expansion and enter new markets successfully. they can be copied and pasted into new markets. At weGrow, we
provide companies with tools such as a growth readiness check,
1. Adapting to new trends in e-commerce and digitalisation to make sure that all stakeholders are aware of the necessary
Changes in e-commerce due to COVID-19 are here to stay – key items to de-risk expansion. We often see that unsolved
there has been a “permanent transformation” in how potential challenges are being scaled into new markets - and this will
buyers research and interact with B2B and B2C companies. hurt later on. You need to assess your company’s strengths and
e-commerce has risen to ~30% share of addressable retail1, and weaknesses, and position your business in the new market; do
research has shown that consumers spent an average of 25 more not rush into expansion.
minutes per day on mobile devices last year2. Industries ranging
from retail and shopping to food and beverage are all affected Have lots of fun ‘riding the wave’ while succeeding in new
by this accelerating shift, as clients are demanding more fast markets!
and efficient digital solutions. Companies with more traffic
and business conversions can thank their quick adaptations Best wishes,
and understanding of the need to pivot their proposition to Gernot Schwendtner, Co-founder, weGrow International
the customers. Start- and scale-ups need to place the buyer weGrow is a hands-on consultancy specialised in helping startups
journey at the centre of everything, and so adapt their strategy, & scale-ups achieve fast and sustainable international growth. -
processes and resource allocation to this. Refocus your sales and www.wegrow.company/

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