TAKE THE WEBSITE HEALTH ASSESSMENT:

IS YOUR E-COMMERCE WEBSITE PREPARED FOR INTERNATIONAL CUSTOMERS?

How strong are your online commerce operations?
Is your business ready to face tough competition? Today's consumers are accustomed to online shopping and more demanding than ever before. Ask yourself the following 10 questions to figure out how healthy your website is and download our free ebook to help your business reach the next level of e-commerce success.

Start
QUESTION 1 OF 10

Do you accept international orders?

Yes
No

If you don't offer specialized international commerce options on your site, this fast-growing form of online sales can transform your organization's trajectory.

Retailers that have opened their offerings to international buyers have increased their sales by 10% to 15%, and this number is expected to increase.

QUESTION 2 OF 10

Does your homepage clearly state that it's open to international orders?

Yes
No
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While it may seem obvious that your site offers international purchasing and shipping, you shouldn't leave this up to chance.
How?  We recommend placing a banner describing international commerce options on your home page, making the essential information clearly visible.
Let your customers know immediately that they can buy your goods from overseas.
QUESTION 3 OF 10

Do you offer express delivery?

Yes
No
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Though international shipments may have to cross great distances, buyers want them right away - 1 out of every 10 dollars spent on international sales goes to an express order.
What's in it for you? Retailers with premium shipping options grow 60% faster than those with just standard offerings.
QUESTION 4 OF 10

Are your international shipping charges appropriate?

Yes
No
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While it's valuable to offer expedited shipping, speed can't come with deceptive or unclear pricing.
Popular offers include free shipping for orders over a threshold, using real-time data from carriers to charge up-to-the-moment fees based on the market, and charging a subsidized flat rate to a given country.
Minimum-spend free shipping is especially promising - 73% of buyers have bought more to use such an option.
QUESTION 5 OF 10

Do you offer a "duties and taxes paid" option?

Yes
No
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Customers are constantly concerned about hidden fees or charges that will occur later.
Duties and taxes can be a bad surprise for international shoppers if they aren't paid upfront.
When you offer Delivery and Duties Paid (DDP), duties and taxes are billed to you, the seller, sparing the buyer this extra charge.
Retailers that offer DDP grow twice as fast as those that do not.
Among DHL's top 20 e-commerce customers, 15 use DDP.
QUESTION 6 OF 10

Do you offer easy returns?

Yes
No
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Customers will be reassured and more willing to spend on your site if they see a comprehensive and user-friendly return system.
Easy returns are a huge hit with customers - 92% are likely to make a future purchase with a retailer providing this service.
DHL returns are convenient: Customers can drop off packages at select points or arrange to have shipments picked up at chosen times, at home or at work.
QUESTION 7 OF 10

Is your website available in multiple languages?

Yes
No
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When your website doesn't adapt to a shopper's first language, sales get lost in translation.
More than half of buyers (56%) rate translated information as more important than price when choosing which site to buy from.
QUESTION 8 OF 10

Do you apply currency conversion?

Yes
No
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Making payment easy is one of the most effective ways to ensure customers make a final purchase decision.
Nearly all shoppers (98%) want the ability to pay in their own currency.
QUESTION 9 OF 10

Do you offer localized payment options?

Yes
No
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Accepting payment options popular in particular markets can be hugely important, and these can vary widely around the world.
For example, 56% of online shoppers in Holland use iDeal.
In another example, more than 300 million buyers in China have payment cards registered with instant message app WeChat.
QUESTION 10 OF 10

Does your website use delivery notifications?

Yes
No
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People want order transparency and the ability to change details on the fly.
Keeping in touch via delivery notifications lets you offer these options. And it pays.
First-time delivery rates increase more than 15% when there are delivery notifications.
DHL's On Demand Delivery covers 90% of all e-commerce shipments, with notifications in over 45 languages in more than 150 countries.