1. Why should we conduct macro-environment analysis?
General macro-environment analysis is to confirm and evaluate the impact of macro factors such as politics, economy, social culture, technology, ecology and law on the strategic goals and strategic choices of enterprises. When cross-border e-commerce enterprises enter foreign markets through platforms and directly contact foreign customers, they not only need to understand customers, but also need to start from a higher level, see the overall development trend of the market and industry, judge the investment value of the market, and pay attention to the impact and direction of the changes in macro-politics, economic policies, laws and technologies on the market and the impact on corporate costs. For example: tariff increases caused by policy factors, or exchange rate fluctuations caused by economic factors, will affect the profits of cross-border e-commerce companies. If enterprises can maintain dynamic research and observation of macro-environments such as politics and economy and have a certain degree of sensitivity, they can make adjustments to pricing strategies, sales strategies, transportation strategies, overseas warehousing layout strategies, etc. in advance to avoid losses.
2. Macro-environment analysis model
(1) PEST analysis model
PEST analysis refers to the macro-environment analysis model. The macro environment, also known as the general environment, refers to all macro factors that affect industries and enterprises. The specific content of the analysis of macro-environmental factors will vary according to the characteristics and business needs of different industries and enterprises, but generally, the four major external environmental factors that affect the enterprise, namely political, economic, social and technological, should be analyzed. Therefore, it is called the PEST analysis model.
(II) PESTEL Analysis Model
The PESTEL analysis model, that is, the macro-environment analysis model, is an effective tool for analyzing the macro-environment. It can not only analyze the external environment, but also identify all forces that have an impact on the organization. It is a method of investigating external factors affecting the organization. Each letter represents a factor, namely political factors, economic factors, social factors, technological factors, environmental factors and legal factors.