Going Global Without the Hassle
"About 79 percent of all Internet users are outside the United States," noted Colleen Francis, the vice president of business development for iShopUSA. "It's an untapped market. So if you want to expand your business, the best way would be to reach those customers you're currently unable to take orders from."
Added Klebenov, "If you don't maximize all the opportunities that present themselves, you're basically asking to be left behind." But he cautioned e-commerce businesses about being too hasty about selling into foreign markets. "Unless you have a simple yet elegant solution that can take the hassle out of the international sales process, then you're going to get yourself into trouble."
Fortunately for EyeSave.com, MoabSports.com, AmazingSocks.com and many other e-commerce businesses wishing to dip their toes into international waters, there is now iShopUSA.
"It's worked great for us, and customers like it," said Klebenov. Tabanov agreed. "It's a great idea," he said. "Now I don't have to bother with that part of the business — and I can use the money I saved from not dealing with international shipping on promoting the business internationally."
Tapping the Overseas Market: How iShopUSA Works
iShopUSA integrates with most but not all e-commerce platforms, including Yahoo! stores. The service gives merchants access to customers in over 200 countries via the iShopUSA site.
To notify international customers that their order will be handled by iShopUSA, member merchants post a notice, like the one below, on either their International or Shipping page that lets international customers know that iShopUSA will be fulfilling their order.
International Shipping (Outside of the USA)
AmazingSocks.com has partnered with a trusted third-party company, iShopUSA, to fulfill orders for our international customers. Simply put any items you wish to purchase in your shopping cart and choose the "international checkout" option. The items will automatically be transferred into an iShopUSA cart. You may pay with international credit cards, PayPal and bank wire transfers. iShopUSA will process your payment and guarantee delivery. Once your order is completed, all inquiries should be directed to iShopUSA Customer Service Department.
Among the services iShopUSA provides merchants are:
- Guaranteed funds in U.S. dollars
- Anti-fraud state-of-the-art identity verification
- Cart-to-cart integration
- International shipping
- Landed cost calculation
- Handling of all exchanges and returns
- Price quotes in the consumer's home currency
- Multi-lingual customer care
- Export and import compliance and documentation
Jennifer Lonoff Schiff is a regular contributor to Ecommerce-Guide.com and runs a blog for and about small businesses.
