Going Global: How To Launch Your Product In A Different Country

Expanding your product into a different country can be exciting, but it can also be very risky. To avoid cultural missteps, compliance breaches and logistical blunders, it’s important to spend time doing your research beforehand. This post briefly covers some of the most important preparation steps to take in order to ensure your product’s international launch is a success. 

Start with market research

Entering a foreign market could mean going up against different competitors, adapting to different types of consumer trends, and being aware of certain cultural sensitivities. Take your time to do your research by analyzing local competitors, conducting local surveys, reading local consumer studies and talking to local marketing consultants. You may have to consider different pricing, different packaging and even a different brand name in some cases.

Understand local product regulations

Product regulations vary around the world. While the EU is known for having very strict laws regarding materials and ingredients, countries like America are more relaxed and rely on post-market surveillance. Hire a lawyer to help you understand local restrictions so that your product is compliant. In some cases, official tests may need to be carried out or certain labels like a CE mark may need to be included on packaging. 

Negotiate the language barrier

Selling your product in a country that speaks a different language? It could be worth creating new local translated resources such as a native website, social media pages and product manuals. Don’t rely on digital translation tools – hire translators to produce something that reads well. If you need to talk to foreign-speaking marketers, investors, lawyers or potential clients, consider hiring an interpreter to help you communicate clearly. This could avoid things being lost in translation if one of you is not fluent in the other’s language. 

Plan out logistics

If your product is manufactured in your home country, you need to consider the cost of shipping it over to international clients. To cover the cost of delivery, you may have to increase the cost, which may reduce demand. Solutions like dropshipping could be worth considering – this involves stocking some of your product in a warehouse within that country to reduce shipping times and delivery costs for customers. However, the cost of renting out warehouse space needs to be worth it. 

Consider on-the-ground presence

Certain launches may require on-the-ground presence. You can travel there yourself or you can delegate someone to take over meetings, attend trade shows or handle local staff training on your behalf. When looking into accommodation, explore options like short term housing rather than spending extortionate amounts on hotels. Some meetings may be possible to carry out via video call and may not require a trip abroad, however meeting up in person may strengthen relationships in some cases. 

Partner with local experts

It’s been mentioned throughout this post, but it’s worth reiterating – working with professionals that live in that country or have a lot of local knowledge will prevent you from having to figure it all out yourself. Think local marketers, legal advisers, financial advisers and translators. Not only will these pros be able to give you advice, but they may even be able to take over tasks for you to make things easier.