Selling on the Internet - Leveraging the international
market
Published: 17th of January 2007
Where selling on the internet is concerned, most people
envision the online marketplace as a means of selling
their products to customers abroad.
There are however potentially lucrative ways of making money on the internet
other than selling yodelling courses to the South Africans.
What all too few companies realise is the very nature
of the internet, which allows relatively small service
industry businesses to reach and attract clients from
other countries and entice them into taking advantage
of their services.
So what are these other ways of selling on the internet?
Like its real world equivalent, commerce on the web is
driven by the basic laws of economics, one of which
is ‘buy low – sell high’.
It may sound overly simplistic, but a little research
into prices of services in other countries can often pay
large dividends when packaged properly and marketed on
the internet.
By finding a demand in a place where prices for the service
in question are high and providing a lower priced alternative
in another country, you will still be able to build an
international niche-market business with relatively little
effort.
For example, a Private Pilot’s Licence is up to
30% cheaper in the Republic of Cyprus (even after travel,
accommodation, etc. are factored) than it is in the United
Kingdom, Ireland or indeed most other European countries.
One enterprising school of aviation in Paphos is now actively
and successfully marketing its services to the rest of
Europe and attracting more clients from abroad than Cyprus
itself.
Similarly, excursions to Egypt are usually substantially
cheaper when booked from Cyprus rather than the UK.
This has led a few enterprising Cypriot travel agents
to providing package holidays to Cyprus which also include
Nile cruises and excursions to the many attractions of
Egypt as part of the experience.
This approach to selling on the internet takes a little
thought and research.
Here are a few tips to get you started along the right
track.
- How much does your service cost locally in relation
to other countries?
The answers are at your fingertips. Use the web (Google
would be a good starting point) to find out just how
much is being charged for your particular service in
other countries.
- Will a client still save money by coming to you?
If this is the case, commission a small web site targeted
to your prospective client’s country and see
what happens.
- When selling on the internet, make use of exchange
rates.
Although the results are debatable, many SEO companies
have already outsourced much of their work to the far
east where labour and running costs are much cheaper
than in Europe.
If your location allows for lower overheads and prices,
be sure to bring this fact to potential client’s
attention.
Given a little commitment, new opportunities will
soon present themselves.
Selling on the Internet - More than just E-Commerce
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