In an era of seemingly e-everything e-commerce is changing the way people do business and impacting shopping habits. Increasingly this change has an international dimension in both trans-national transactions and exporting e-commerce business models from one culture to another.

 The Situation.

 Typically this last element has involved exporting Western e-business models to the rest of the world. However, it is unclear if an e-commerce business model developed in one cultural environment would be suitable for another culture. In addition, differences between countries may be due to deep embedded cultural aspects, differences in infrastructure and business environment or a mix of these. Different cultural aspects and differences in the infrastructure and business environment are apparent.

Differences in user practices and the environment seems to indicate that e-commerce business models suitable for the West may not be totally suitable for the East.

  The Ultimate B2C Goal Even In The International Market Is The Same

 The ultimate goal of B2C marketing is to convert shoppers into buyers as aggressively and consistently as possible. B2C companies employ more merchandising activities like coupons, displays, store fronts (both real and Internet) and offers to entice the target market to buy. B2C marketing campaigns are concerned with the transaction, are shorter in duration and need to capture the customer’s interest immediately. These campaigns often offer special deals, discounts, or vouchers that can be used both online and in the store. For example, the goal of an email campaign for a B2C company is to get consumers to buy the product immediately. The email will take the consumer to a landing page on the web site that is designed to sell the product and make purchasing very easy by integrating the shopping cart and checkout page into the flow of the transaction. Any more than a couple of clicks and the customer is likely to abandon the shopping cart.

 One interesting aspect of B2C marketing, however, is that many companies have realized the importance of loyalty. Amazon, Best Buy, and Staples combine merchandising and education to keep customers coming back. Add great customer service, and you get a winning combination.

 How Does A Local Market Sales Funnel Compare To An International One?

 A Local Market Sales Funnel Compare And An International Market Sales Funnel Are Essentially The Same.

 Selling is like pouring water down a leaky funnel. You guide water into the top of funnel, but the only useful water is that which reaches the spout. This gives you some big problems around getting water in and managing leakages.

 It’s All About Qualifying In.

In the sales funnel the first job is qualifying in, deciding who to nudge into the funnel in the first place. Even in the local market. This is a tricky decision, as once they are in the funnel you will be spending significant effort in getting them to buy — effort you would rather not waste. On the other hand, if you qualify them out, you may be throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

 Qualifying-in is thus a very important process. Get it right and you will have some brilliant prospects. Get it wrong and you will waste time on people who will not buy and, perhaps worse, lose those who will.

 Manage Your Local Flow Of Customers.

 Once they are in the funnel, the job is to progress them through it at maximum speed and with minimum effort. Along the way there may be a number of points where you progress them further or qualify them out of the funnel.

 In the speed-effort equation, a common factor is that by adding effort, which often takes time, you may increase the value (to you) of the deal. This in itself needs careful qualification and monitoring — it is easy to waste time selling just a bit more when your time would be better spent on another deal.

 Some deals get stuck or move rather slowly through the funnel, making qualifying-out an important job. It can be easy for the funnel to become clogged and regular clean-outs are a good idea. Depending on your situation, this can mean getting rid of them completely or otherwise putting them on the back-burner.

 The marketing funnel for local markets.

 Upstream of the sales funnel is the marketing funnel. The processes that drive potential customers to your door or which drive you to their door also have aspects of qualification and choice. If marketing sends the wrong message, then you may find the top of your funnel crowded with the wrong people. The marketing funnel should accurately feed the sales funnel and it is generally a very good idea for sales and marketing people to collaborate on this.

 Not all selling needs a complex sales funnel, and if you are in retail sales, then your customers likely buy in one go. Yet the funnel principle can still be useful for you. Think about on a micro-scale — how can you speed each sale? Think also of the upstream marketing funnel — how do customers decide to come to your store rather than go elsewhere?

 How to Avoid The Cultural Barriers For B2C

 Strategic Planning

 International brands must first follow the steps of the strategic planning process.

• They must clearly articulate their vision
• Assess where the brand is currently
• Set goals and objectives
• Define the work needed
• Define the organizational structure and redefine the culture of the organization.

 Adaptation

 The next step is to determine the work to be completed and define the organizational structure. As a global community, a brand must consider the degree of adaptation needed for each element i.e. language and cultural differences. For the community structure, is possible to categorise B2C Communities into four types;

1. Interest communities
2. Relationship communities
3. Fantasy communities
4. Transactional communities.

 Partner With Professionals

 Based on these requirements, it is important to partner with an international web agency with internal and external resources to launch and manage the project. The key tasks for success include;

• project coordination
• developing and implementing the global community policy
• defining the common community frame and launching a locally relevant community in the chosen locales.

 Involve Locals

 It is crucial to involve local managers in the development and review process. Their role is to verify that each local community was regionally relevant and identify potential partners to run and promote the community. The local partners will add another dynamic to the organizational structure. Local partners can be used as ambassadors, event organizers and online moderators.

 Most Importantly Plan! – Plan Before You Begin to Market

 The bottom line is that the difference between B2B and B2C marketing comes down to the buyers’ emotional perspective about the purchase. Consumers make buying decisions based on status, security, comfort and quality. Business buyers make buying decisions based on increasing profitability, reducing costs and enhancing productivity. If you are a B2B business offering products and services to other businesses, put your marketing dollars into marketing programs and materials that offer your target what they need to make a rational buying decision. Help them determine the value of the product and service you offer through quality materials, testimonials, and other activities that build credibility. If you are a B2C business, understand what motivates your buyer and the emotional aspect of the buying decision. Create compelling materials that build awareness for your brand, enhance their comfort in buying from you, and project quality service and best price. As you create your marketing plan for the coming year, remember what is important to your target audience and create your marketing programs to speak to them.

 The Concept of Local B2C marketing differs only slightly to the normal concepts of B2C marketing. However, following these steps will help you conquer any market!