Reflecting on key themes from GELF’s morning program, we opened the afternoon program at GELF LA ’23 by examining the road ahead for retail ecommerce leaders expanding internationally. After the pandemic boom, ecommerce growth has moderated – and in some cases, dipped – as economic headwinds and uncertainty lie ahead in the first half of 2023.
Yet international ecommerce growth continues to outpace domestic growth – and online sales growth in some segments remains strong.
Our afternoon keynote explored where global ecommerce leaders are finding success internationally and how to avoid the headwinds as they go-to-market outside their home markets. Benjamin Cohen, COO & Co-founder, Glopal joined GELF co-founders Kent Allen and Jim Okamura for the afternoon keynote discussion. Ben presented several client cases studies which helped illustrate how his team successfully moves clients up the global ecommerce maturity curve.
Check out the video recap of the GELF LA ’23 afternoon keynote panel session here on the GELF YouTube Channel.
Ben also joined GELF for a Global Ecommerce Leaders podcast, which is available at the GELF Podcast Center – and wherever you listen in for your podcasts.
Ben explains the benefits of working with a global ecommerce platform that doesn’t act as the merchant of record. In short, it’s all about creating the right experience for client’s brand which is why large, well-established brands are drawn to Glopal’s model.
Ben also touches on the importance of rapid testing for DTC brands expanding internationally. Listen in to hear more about why rapid testing and learning is more important than ever – and which markets respond best to what kind of messaging and how to scale this engagement. Simply put, post-pandemic consumers remain a little unsure about what comes next, so they are spending smart. Testing is a must in order to clarify new purchase preferences.
What are Ben’s Two-Starts and One-Stop? #1 – North American brands need to stop limiting their international ecommerce strategy to the English-speaking countries. Don’t be stifled by the perceived complexity of reaching non-English speaking markets, especially in Europe.
Secondly, provide a truly local experience by making sure that localization efforts are reflected in SEO strategies. The One-Stop? Don’t be overwhelmed by the growing ecosystem of technologies – look for partners well-situated to help integrate the key technologies required to create a more engaging cross-border shopping experience.
Thanks again to the Glopal team for supporting the GELF community at GELF LA ’23! Glopal will be back at GELF NYC ’23 on October 12th at Convene Midtown – registration is now open for executives at retailers and DTC brands, so make plans now to join us!
Until next time!