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~ ESW ~

HOW TO EXCEL IN

GLOBAL MARKETS:

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF MULTI-

LOCAL COMMERCE

Text: Jonathan Sheard, Vice President, Sales at ESW // Photos: ESW

Crucial to the pace of your global expansion is the ability to provide a
seamless, locally tailored shopping experience in every region. In this
article, Jonathan Sheard, Vice President, Sales at ESW, will explore
multi-local commerce and how to successfully implement it.

ny brand serious about global growth
always aspires to provide superior customer Secondly, the multi-local
Aexperiences to all customers, regardless of approach relies on market JONATHAN SHEARD
their location. However, in reality, achieving this can knowledge of consumers in VICE PRESIDENT, SALES AT ESW UK
be challenging due to the numerous moving parts, each country. This involves
many of which the brand may feel it cannot fully understanding the typical domestic e-commerce experience
control. These parts range from demand generation and how it can be replicated. This means knowing the most
to last-mile delivery, and what often emerges is an popular marketing responses, ideal package receiving times,
over-reliance on third parties, a lack of visibility into preferred payment methods, the right balance between
execution, and a delayed response to issues. words and images on websites, returns experience, and
preferred channels for customer service.
It’s also easy to prioritise speed over experience to generate
revenue as quickly as possible. As a result, brands may often Understanding what the local customer wants makes
translate product pages into the local language but fail to it easier to choose the right partners for logistics and
display prices in the local currency. Some brands may neglect warehousing, vendors, pricing strategies, and marketing
to curate payment options, causing shoppers to sift through campaigns and to ensure they deliver through KPIs and
irrelevant or obscure performance targets.
payment choices. “WHEN BRANDS DON’T FULLY LOCALISE,
INTERNATIONAL SHOPPERS OFTEN ENCOUNTER Now, let’s examine the key
Moreover, when brands areas that brands need to
don’t fully localise, SURPRISE TAX AND DUTY CHARGES” address:
international shoppers
often encounter surprise To attract new customers,
tax and duty charges, along with delivery delays when cross- brands must localise awareness campaigns to appeal to
border shipments get held up in customs. specific cultural values and norms. At this stage, it’s crucial
to ensure that imagery and language not only align with the
Achieving a responsive local offering first requires an brand but are also market-appropriate.
understanding of how multi-local differs from existing
approaches. To begin with, multi-local commerce places This serves as the foundation for creating loyalty
customers at the centre of all planning and operations, programmes, which should also be localised based on
recognising that long-term revenue through loyalty is what whether customers prefer earning points or paying a yearly
generates sustainable profits. membership fee.

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