Social is Global: Learning From Threadless’ Success in Global E-Commerce

Start simple by focusing your social commerce initiatives on English speaking communities. Language and localization are more complicated and require more resources. Evaluate the need to do localization enhancements when the demand rises.

High culture-context countries like China, Japan and Korea require different approaches and dedicated resources with localization and language, even attention to cultural nuances. Those are the markets you’ll need to be educated more before you dive in. But don't overlook opportunities when your brand has unique advantages in other countries.

Retailers rarely think about global expansion when they first start out. Their strategic imperative is to build a sustainable business in their home market first. It’s reasonable for them to ponder the question, “Are we ready to explore the wilderness of the global market?”

If your firm isn't sure, pay attention to the global traffic to your website by checking out the data on alexa.com. Listen to what your global fans are saying on social networks and touchpoints. This will help you foresee the first wave of international customers coming your way. Build your social network by nurturing your global fan. Take care in picking the right platform once you decide which countries to go after. Do this and you may find your brand already has more connections to the global market than you may have imagined.

International e-commerce isn’t just another shining object — it’s an untapped reservoir of opportunities. It's up to you to unleash its potential. If you do it right, it can become the major source of growth for your e-commerce business. That’s the message we heard from Threadless' global expansion story, loud and clear.

Sherry Shi is a marketing executive for Pitney Bowes Ecommerce Solutions. Reach Sherry at sherry.shi@pb.com.