Did you know only about 1 percent of businesses in the U.S. sell their products internationally?
Yet, selling products in other countries enables you to access new markets, expand your customer base, and grow your revenues. Why, then, are many small companies unable to break into international markets?
There are a number of entry barriers many businesses face, but even those that have the capacity to sell internationally simply don’t know how to find buyers for the US export products.
Don’t let that prevent you. In this article, we’re sharing tips on how to find international customers for your products.
Read on!
Sell Your Product on Amazon
You don’t need to travel to the international market you’re eyeing and start running localized marketing campaigns for your product. Ecommerce platforms like Amazon already attract hundreds of millions of international buyers, so all you need to do is sell your product on these platforms.
Setting up an Amazon shop isn’t hard, but there are terms and conditions you must meet. There’s plenty of competition, especially for companies that aren’t selling unique products. As such, you must know how to optimize your product listings properly.
Once your products are live, wait for international customers to start making orders!
Sell Your Product on Your Website
While selling on global ecommerce platforms is the easiest way to go global, the method might not be suitable for your business. Or, you can complement selling on Amazon and other platforms by selling on your own ecommerce website.
This option gives your complete control over everything, but it also means you’re in charge of logistics and shipping. This shouldn’t scare you, though. There are many companies offering freight forwarding and shipping services you can use to ensure your products reach the customers.
Investing in global SEO is vital if you want your small ecommerce website to be visible online.
Piggybacking
Piggybacking is one way of entering a foreign market and can enable you to find buyers for your products. It involves partnering with a company in the foreign market you want to start selling. The deal is to cross-sell each other’s products to an existing customer base.
For example, let’s say your company makes toothbrushes. You can approach a foreign company that makes toothpaste and agree on a deal where the company bundles your brushes with the toothpaste.
Gradually, your product will be introduced into that foreign market. As the brand’s awareness grows, your will start getting foreign inquiries about the product.
You can also use the licensing method. This gives a foreign company the right to import your product and become the exclusive sellers of the product in that market.
Find Buyers for Your US Export Products
Selling products internationally is key to the growth of any business. However, finding buyers for US export products isn’t easy. In many cases, there are established competitors that dominate the foreign markets. With the right strategy, though, you can build a solid customer base.
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