Entering international markets is not just about translating websites and adjusting prices for different currencies. Companies need a sophisticated technology stack to understand the customers, regulations, and the way to provide services that will make it possible to do business across multiple geographies and internet connections. The technology that enables business operations across international borders has quickly become an essential component for any company that wants to remain competitive in the global economy.
Today’s companies face an entirely new series of challenges when it comes to cross-border operations. The expectations of customers in one region may be wildly different from the next. The competition may behave differently. The technology infrastructure may or may not be in place to make the websites used by these international customers function properly. Technology that can provide confidence in reliable insights into regional market dynamics and user experiences is essential to overcoming these obstacles.
Regional Market Research and Intelligence
Companies need to conduct market research in potential markets, but geography makes it difficult to use traditional means to study the expected customers and competitors. The technology stack that makes cross-border operations possible must include tools that open companies to valuable insights.
Web-based research tools allow businesses to gather competitive intelligence from international markets by simulating user experiences from different geographic locations. For companies researching Latin American markets, tools such as a Mexican web proxy enable accurate analysis of local search results, competitor positioning, and regional advertising strategies that might not be visible from other locations.
Social media intelligence for various regions must account for various social media platforms, languages, and regionally-based cultural characteristics. A technique that works in one region on one platform might backfire completely in another. Location-specific intelligence is the key to ensuring that a company’s marketing efforts become successful on an international stage.
Cross-Border E-commerce Infrastructure
Companies in the e-commerce space face a variety of technology-related challenges as they attempt to engage in online business with cross-border customers. Order fulfillment, payment processing, and customer service issues all depend on the proper functioning of technology stacks to ensure a seamless experience.
Content delivery networks make it possible for international customers to have speedy access to the company’s website by delivering the content they can use to access the store from a geography that is convenient to them. Content delivery networks are an essential element of the technology stack, especially as businesses expand into emerging markets, where infrastructure may not be as developed.
Cross-border payment processes need to be effective, efficient, and effortless for customers and companies alike. Different regions exhibit a variety of popular payment processing options; technology stacks that enable global business operations must be prepared to handle a variety of uncommon types of payment processing systems. Mobile payment processing might be an expectation in one region while it is unknown in another.
Compliance and Regulatory Technology
Operating across international borders generates a variety of compliance issues. Not even a generic approach to compliance is likely to be effective, so businesses need technology stacks that ensure their operations comply with the requirements of every region in which they operate.
Many regions have data localization requirements, which essentially mean that companies can only collect specific types of data within the bounds of those geographies. Cloud technology options have geographic restrictions on data flow options.
Privacy legislation is not uniform across regions and jurisdictions. Some areas do not even have established laws on privacy. Technology solutions ensure that companies do not fall afoul of local laws as they operate across international borders with automated compliance measures that account for where the users engaging with their sites are located.
Testing and Quality Assurance
Websites operating across several international markets encounter customers with various ISPs, geographies, and regional characteristics. Testing stacks assist companies in discovering issues with their websites prior to user discovery.
Testing website performance using stacks designed for testing can be done on websites that are launching from various regions of origin. Performance results reveal how the latency of ISP networks impacts users as they attempt to visit websites hosted in other regions. Sites that operate flawlessly in their countries of origin may behave poorly in foreign regions due to latency issues and inefficiencies with how networks direct traffic.
Testing for localization examines websites to ensure that they work with various languages, currencies, and expectations, rather than just ensuring they are accurate to direct localized users. Automation testing technology can ensure that purchasing technology stacks work with locally accepted currencies or even regionally relevant phone numbers as credentials.
Communication and Collaboration
Global companies need technology stacks that give them a means of communicating and collaborating with a variety of stakeholders who operate in other regions. The quality of infrastructure may differ drastically in some regions, so video calling technology stacks should accommodate varying conditions of use.
Customer support operations that operate across numerous international regions require technology stacks that can handle a multitude of diverse requests and that route requests to the appropriate departments that operate in time zones convenient to their stakeholders. Automation can overcome language barriers, but accomplishing operational expectations still requires an appreciation of cultural nuances.
Implementation Strategies
Implementation strategies ensure companies know how to implement in a variety of environments, including phased implementations and technologies that are becoming available for some firms to adopt.
The most effective global business technology strategies combine multiple tools and platforms to create comprehensive international capabilities. Success depends on selecting technologies that work well together while providing the flexibility needed to adapt to different regional requirements and market conditions.
