(I) Clarify the business direction
To engage in cross-border e-commerce, you must first understand cross-border e-commerce and determine whether the company is engaged in import or export business. The two are different in nature, so you must clarify the business direction.
(II) Conduct crowd analysis
Before engaging in cross-border e-commerce, you must first conduct research on the history, cultural customs, living habits, geography, climate and other factors of the destination country (region) where you are going to sell products, so that you can better analyze the population.
(1) Find products that are in demand in the destination country (region) where you are going to sell products. (2) Understand the cross-border e-commerce platform and analyze which platform the product is suitable for operation.
(3) Understand the relevant systems and regulations of the cross-border e-commerce platform to avoid illegal operations and avoid risks in advance.
(III) Select products and cross-border e-commerce platforms according to needs
1. Select products
When selecting products according to the needs of the population, do not choose products that are prohibited from sale by domestic and foreign laws. For the specific list, refer to the prohibition and restriction rules of each platform, and you must comply with the prohibition and restriction rules of products.
Products suitable for sale on cross-border e-commerce platforms have the following characteristics:
(1) They must have certain additional attributes that consumers feel are worth the money.
(2) The product size should not be too large and should be suitable for international transportation.
(3) The product must be unique and have unique functions. Only when the product is unique can it continuously stimulate consumers’ desire to buy.
(4) The pricing is in line with the market positioning.
(5) Other characteristics, such as having a large profit margin.
2. Selecting a cross-border e-commerce platform
Understand the entry requirements of the cross-border e-commerce platform, prepare various qualification certificates, and apply for entry into the cross-border e-commerce platform according to the prescribed procedures.
(IV) Store and product operation
1. Store operation
(1) Formulate an operation plan.
1) Sellers should analyze factors such as funds, resources, team size, team capabilities, and stores to determine whether they can operate the store well.
2) Analyze the overall market trend.
3) Find out the product’s competitive points and determine the risk of competition.
4) Set annual, quarterly, monthly and weekly sales plan targets. 5) Split sales channel targets according to sales plan targets to facilitate the achievement of overall targets.
(2) Store management. For store decoration and setting, brand building and other contents, you can find industry leaders on the platform, refer to and learn from the decoration and setting of the stores of industry leaders, and then carry out related work, and then form your own characteristics.
Operating a store is a long-term work, which requires accumulating consumers step by step and improving the store’s reputation and level. Do a good job in store management, achieve excellent performance, understand the rules of cross-border e-commerce platforms and operate them proficiently, and know how to appeal when problems arise.
(3) Store decoration design. The design of the store homepage is in line with the style of the country of sale. The colors, characters, scenes, text descriptions, and product pictures are unified in design style, which will make consumers feel more beautiful.
2. Product operation
Product operation includes data analysis, product selection, perfect listing, listing, delivery, improving product ranking, and increasing store sales. Inventory management includes: if the product sells well, there will be no shortage of goods; if the product sells poorly, there will be no backlog of goods, inventory analysis, and market analysis. Operational promotion means that for individual sellers, they can learn the “more, faster, better, and cheaper” operation strategy through various channels.
(V) Choose logistics methods
1. Logistics methods
How to deliver products to consumers is crucial. At present, the logistics methods of cross-border e-commerce can be selected from postal services, overseas warehousing, domestic express delivery, dedicated logistics, international express delivery, etc. Cross-border e-commerce sellers can choose the appropriate
logistics method according to their own needs.
2. Logistics pain points
The freight cost of cross-border e-commerce logistics is high, the delivery and transit time is long, and after-sales problems cannot be solved in time; the return cycle is long. If consumers return the goods, not only the procedures are cumbersome, but also the time is long. (VI) Choose payment methods
The payment methods of consumers in each country are different, and the payment methods supported by each cross-border e-commerce platform are also different. For example: Payonner is a US payment company, WF is a British payment company, and PingPong is a domestic financial company. For some products, cross-border e-commerce sellers can choose the payment method according to their own sites.
(VII) Choose a server
Cross-border e-commerce platforms need to run on servers, so the stability of the server determines the stability of the cross-border e-commerce platform. If the platform where the seller is located is relatively large, it is recommended to choose a more stable server. Server maintenance is very complicated, and it is usually chosen to rent a professional server. The location of the server also needs to be carefully considered. If the cross-border e-commerce platform is aimed at overseas consumers, it is recommended to deploy the server overseas.
(VIII) Analysis, summary, and review
After the sale, it is necessary to summarize the rules in a timely manner. Sellers can use keyword searches to see which hot-selling products are there, and thus discover the common points and highlights of hot-selling products. This is the commonality of hot-selling products. In this way, new business opportunities can be discovered, and timely summaries can also discover problems and optimize operations.