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~ Welcome ~

FOREWORD

1. Do your research: Detailed knowledge of the market
you are heading to, competitors, target groups,
pricing structure as well as any local regulations
will ensure a clear understanding of the potential
investment costs and the ROI.
2. Remember - You are not alone: Use your network,
ask about their experiences in the market. Step
outside of your bubble, as what might not have
worked for your closest peers (who shared the same
fears and concerns as you) might have worked for
“bubble-outsiders.”
3. Collaborate: Teamwork counts, even more so in
times of crisis! If you start new things with well-
established partners instead of starting everything
from scratch, your risk is lowered.
4. Start “low-cost”: Instead of localizing your
ROLL UP YOUR SLEEVES AND GET own online shop, why not dip your toes with
STARTED: WHY A “WAIT-AND-SEE- marketplaces. Take advantage of these local heroes
ATTITUDE” WILL NOT TAKE YOU that already have the infrastructure and processes in
FURTHER place. Alternatively, if you step into a new market on
your own, check the opportunities for outsourcing
nyone that’s been in the Mail-Order and E- e. g. for infrastructure or services (customer care,
Commerce industry for more than 10 years fulfilment).
Ahas by now seen many challenges come and 5. Step-by-Step roll out: Enter new markets one after
go. Companies shifted from Mail-Order to E-Com- the other, not all at once. This gives you the chance
merce and find themselves busy evolving company to validate the setup first and to gather experiences
culture, office spaces and digitization. Emerging before you expand further. Additionally, focus
E-Commerce businesses that experienced incredible helps to reduce the fear and risk of missing crucial
growth, especially during COVID, wasted no time information or dependencies.
thinking about scalable processes and tools or how
to pay for them. While growth in the more mature E-Commerce markets
The momentum after the pandemic was “tangible” and many is slow, non-EU markets, for example, are thriving. The
thought that double-digit growth rates and easy fundraising purchasing power is nearly 73.3 % higher in the UK and
processes might last forever. However, as one crisis ended, even 88.8 % higher in Switzerland, compared to Germany.
with the war in Ukraine and the heavy inflation the next one Familiar marketplaces might not have as big a market share
began. as within the EU; however, they are still a great way to enter
new markets for testing purposes and increasing product and
While in the early E-Commerce years you saw pioneers brand awareness.
progress and new business models emerging everywhere,
the industry now seems to be paralyzed. Consolidation is We are all still great at networking, discussing
necessary, that’s for sure. But why do we become so risk personalisation and AI, talking about emerging markets
averse and unimaginative in times of crises? and internationalization. Let’s stop limiting ourselves to
theory alone and start diving deeper into solution finding,
Obviously, risk management becomes more vital, but cost for example with this marvellous new issue of Cross-Border
saving alone will not fully compensate for missing turnover. Magazine!
If you search for problems, you will find problems! Search for
solutions instead! We can all minimize risks in projects - take Kathrin Hösl
internationalization as an example: CCO, exporto

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