As the U.S. economy continues to remain soft, many companies have turned their focus on expanding globally. This is primarily due to the fact that off shore business is an untapped market for many companies.  According to Forester Research, 25% of U.S. web traffic comes from international shoppers, but the actual orders from these shoppers are only 4% of total U.S. web sales. Global expansion can often be a complex and challenging project for companies, which is why they focus on solidifying their domestic business first before they look to expand overseas.   Here are four key areas to think about as you focus on expanding globally and improving the off shore shopping experience for your customers:

Fully-landed cost for shoppers- This allows the off shore shopper to see the “total” cost—including retail price of the product, customs duties, local taxes and transportation charges—prior to submitting the order. It ensures a better customer experience and increases customer loyalty.

Purchasing in the consumers’ own currency- This also ensures a better customer experience as the company instead of the end consumer assumes the risk of currency exchange and the fraud risk.

Export and Import Regulatory Compliance- One of the complexities of Global business is dealing with Customs Compliance and all the rules and regulations that exist. The regulations change depending on what country you are exporting to as well as the type of products you are exporting. Companies normally outsource compliance to a 3rd party company or slowly build their own compliance department.

Global Returns Management- Something to think about is how you will handle return as it can be very costly when you return products back into the U.S? Again, there are some rules and regulations enforced by customs depending on the country and product being returned.