What are the questions to ask yourself before you start an International e-Commerce business and how do you build your organisation structure to be scale-able across multiple countries and cultures?

1. BUILDING AN INTERNATIONAL E-COMMERCE BUSINESS
Gary Murray
eRetail Europe 2016, 05/10/16
http://eretaileurope.com

2. BUILDING AN INTERNATIONAL E-COMMERCE ORGANISATION
Agenda
- Introduction
- Before you start…
- What does it mean to build an international e-Commerce business?
- Overview of e-Commerce business functions
- Global, Regional and Local responsibilities
- Final thoughts…
- Personal learnings…
2/16
16 slides/ 20 mins

3. GARY MURRAY, GLOBAL RETAIL DIRECTOR ADBIRDS.GLOBAL
- 20 years in Digital, 17 years in Retail, 11 years in e-Commerce start-ups
- Started e-Commerce businesses around the globe for large multi-nationals
- Launched more than 200 sites in more than 20 countries
- Head of a European e-Commerce business for global brands across 13 countries
3/16
Gary@adbirds.global
https://nl.linkedin.com/in/gmurray2

4. BEFORE YOU START…

5. ASK STRATEGIC QUESTIONS
BEFORE YOU START…
5/16
1. What is Brand v commercial strategy?
2. How does e-Commerce work alongside
other sales channels? (e.g. Wholesale, CS,
Sales Distribution policies)
3. Global URL Strategy and Search strategy?
4. Market entry strategy?
5. How good are your current data
management processes?
6. How good is your current expertise with
digital and D2C in your org?
7. What do you in-source and what do you
out-source?
8. Where is best location for talent?

6. WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BUILD AN
INTERNATIONAL E-COMMERCE
BUSINESS?

7. 7/16
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BUILD AN INTERNATIONAL E-COMMERCE
BUSINESS?
Web PlatformeCom
Platform
Website / UX
Financial
Management
Product
Management
Customer
Service
Marketing
(Brand / Digital / CRM)
Backend
Systems
HR & Legal
Order Management
& Logistics
Functional Systems
Analaytics
Reporting
Monitoring
Reporting

8. WEBSITE & UX
- Keep it simple and start trading to start learning
- Learn how to use the standard platform before making unnecessary bespoke changes
- Use standard templates and make it configurable
- Brand identity differentiated through content and photography
- Localise language where markets demand it (60% of Europeans only buy in their own language)*
- Set up your analytics well and learn how to read it
- Mobile is key
- Have a clear development and improvement process that allows continuous releases
8/16
Centralise Localise
URL Strategy (Global) Y
UX Design (templates & Widgets) Y
Functional Designs Y
Brand identity / Content Y
Content Language Y Y
Analytics Y
Development and QA process Y
*Source: Forrester report 2011

9. FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT
- If relevant, launch EU members first… other markets may bring individual legal requirements
- Find a good payment processor that covers your key markets and offers key Payment types
- Fraud management can be managed by the PP… but be aware of how configurations impact
your CR%
9/16
Central Local
Legal entity Y
Tax Laws Y Y
Accounting/Reconciliation Y
Payment Processing Y Payment types
Fraud Management Y

10. PRODUCT CATALOG MANAGEMENT
10/16
Central Local
Product ranging Y
Masterdata processing Y
Pricing/ currencies Y
Sizing (different standards) Y
Product Descriptions (translations) Y
Product Images Y
- Single range across countries where possible - (e.g. no localised exclusives)
- Be aware of localised seasons and markets on Product
- Do NOT underestimate the impact of Masterdata and data processes… test, test & test !
- Single pricing in markets where possible- your pricing policy will be visible to the consumer
- Put effort into your translations process and quality – (this can impact Customer satisfaction, Returns and
SEO significantly)
- Bigger and more exceptions your range, the bigger your effort and costs (eg photography)

11. BRAND AND DIGITAL MARKETING
11/16
Central Local
Marketing Calendar Y Y
Brand Content Y Y
Social Y Y
SEO Y
SEA Y Y
CRM Data Management Y
Newsletters Management (Content) Y Y
Translation Services Y
- Clear Calendar is crucial… but need to be agile for events!
- Centralising content calendar and team can account for 80% of content
- 20% localised content – (eg local sport teams, events or holidays)
- Social is growing communication channel and for Customer Service
- Localised content supports SEO and traffic acquisition – (use local experts)
- Mobile is key today
- CRM is centralised with localised content and Customer Service languages

12. TECHNOLOGY & SYSTEMS
12/16
Central Local
Architecture Strategy Y
eCommerce Platform Y
Order Management System Y
CRM Tool (Deal with multi-lingual content) Y
Product Information Tool Y
- Technology is centralised but need to be aware of regional requirements (eg Warehousing and
enterprise systems)
- Single e-Commerce platform with regional flexibility (eg enable to manage multiple markets with single team)
- OMS will likely be centralised regionally but can be local need if closed borders
- Local legal requirements can impact technology (eg Brazil difficult tax laws)
- CRM tool centralised but needs to deal with multi-lingual content
- Translation process and feeds are critical

13. CUSTOMER SERVICE
13/16
Central Local
Customer Service 1st line team (phone mail, social channels) Y
Customer Service 2nd Line (eCommerce service, Orders,
Returns)
Y
Contact Channels (Phone,
Languages Y
Customer History Logging Tool Y
Order Status
CS Training (Product training) Y
- If you translate on front-end then customer expectation is that you will provide Customer Service
in local language
- Decide what channels your customer service teams will monitor. Be aware that Social is
becoming more powerful
- As Social channels become more important for Customer service, it becomes more important to
localise Customer Service teams
- 70% of calls were about e-Commerce orders…
- This leaves 30% more detailed calls, e.g. Product enquiries
- Online order status is important to reduce contacts (1:1 ratio per order)

14. ORDER MANAGEMENT & LOGISTICS
14/16
Central Local
Warehouse Y
Inventory Management Y
Carrier processes and integration Y Y
Returns and Exchanges Y
Order tracking Y
Marketplace Partnerships Y
- D2C logistics can be disruptive to W/S logistics, so out-sourcing logistics can be a
good option
- Be clear and monitor your expectations of Returns and Refurbishment costs
- Good monitoring of systems outages can help you react more quickly to issues
impacting customer orders
- Other channels or marketplaces can be serviced from Logistics centre to be cost
effective
- Integration companies can provide good quick ramp up times. Offering access to new
Sales channels or marketplaces quickly

15. GLOBAL, REGIONAL AND LOCAL RESPONSIBILITIES
15/16
Market strategy
URL strategy
Technology / Architecture
e-Com Platform
UX Design & Build
Development and Q.A.
Analytics standards
2nd lineTechnical Support
Global Brand Calendar
CRM strategy
CoE Training
• Sales Strategy
• Warehouse & Logistics
• OMS & ERP
• Product Catalog
• Product Images
• Pricing Strategy
• MasterData processes
• Finance
• HR & Legal
• Customer Service
• Cross Border
• Payment Processor
• Fraud Management
• Translation processes
• SEA & SEO
• eCRM execution
• 1st line Technical Support
• Marketplace partnerships
• Checkout
• Payment Types
• Delivery Options
• Local Calendar & Content
• Currencies
• Address formats
• Social support
• Customer Service 1st (optional)
• Legal consultancy
• ‘Tone of voice’ consultancy
• B & M Stores
Global Regional Localised

16. FINAL THOUGHTS…
- Be clear on the purpose of e-Commerce, Brand vs Commerce
- Keep it simple and grow your expertise
- Build front-end UX on single platform to be configurable and scale-able
- Enable constant delivery and improvement
- Localise payment types and delivery options (eg Cash on Delivery, pick up points)
- Translation process is critical. Make it efficient!
- Masterdata process is critical. Test, test and test.
- Customer Service is getting more difficult with more channels across (Omnichannel)
16/16

17. 17
SOME LEARNINGS…
- Chasing the Market P&L before the traffic is there. (Wrong markets for the brand did not deliver
targets)
- Building sites on different technology (complexity adds to operational effort multiplied by
countries)
- Tried to do D2C logistics in a Wholesale warehouse
- Not enough expertise on Search marketing (money saved on expertise cost us much more)
- Did not understand importance of Payment types on shopping (eg Cash on Delivery for Russia)
- Did not build the CoE before Regional experts
- Testing was not adequate (TEST, TEST, TEST, TEST & TEST AGAIN!)
- Digital agencies with little or no e-Commerce experience

18. 18
Gary Murray
Global Retail Director
gary@adbirds.global
https://nl.linkedin.com/in/gmurray2
Images sourced from https://unsplash.com & https://stocksnap.io

19. 19

20. HR & LEGAL + SLIDE NOT NEEDED
20
Central Local
Staff recruiting Y
Legal consultancy (Local business compliance e.g tax laws,
DP compliance)
Y Y
CENTRALISED VS LOCALISED