Q4 – Get Ahead of the Competition and Prepare for Sales!

E-export strategy during Q4

To prepare a company for export using online sales channels in Q4, you don’t have to establish a branch abroad or hire staff who speak the local language. At the beginning, what is more important is solid substantive preparation and good market research.

Developing a strategy to start e-exporting is not a task that can be done on the fly. It requires a lot of time. The involvement of helpers – from the team or external, e.g. from an agency – is valuable support in this process. Additionally, patience, accuracy, meticulousness and openness are important. Being able to recognize the foreign market, competition, local consumer preferences and available sales channels proves useful in the future. Realistically defined goals will help minimize risk. Let’s see what it takes to develop an effective cross-border e-commerce sales strategy.

Determine sales markets for your products

Gather additional information about the economy and culture of your chosen markets. You can use official government websites, business guides, media reports and internet search engines. It is very important to check if the countries you choose have introduced import restrictions or other regulatory requirements for the products you sell. Despite the fact that the market is large and there is demand for a given product, there may be national restrictions that will prevent or slow down your expansion. When analysing the economy of a given country, you should also pay attention to data regarding consumers and their habits. Especially when it comes to e-commerce shopping. Which shopping channels do they prefer, how often do they shop, and what payment and shipping methods are popular?

Perform a product and competition analysis

After the initial identification of one or more sales markets and collecting key information, it is time to analyse the product and competition. The primary goal here is to identify your opportunities in foreign trade and the strengths and weaknesses of your competitors.

First, check whether the type of product you offer is available on foreign e-commerce platforms and stores or in distribution channels other than the Internet. Are there similar or related products in e-commerce?

Create a list of competing brands, companies and manufacturers selling similar products in e-commerce channels. Are the products they offer similar, or are there significant differences? How do their products differ, and what does your company offer that your competitors lack?

Then, analyse the pricing, marketing and sales strategies of your competitors. It is worth paying attention to the sales channels in which they offer their products. Do your competitors exist in one channel, in many channels, or do they combine them into an omnichannel strategy? Do they export products to other markets? What is the basis of their competitive advantage? Is it just about price? Finally, how strong is the brand and how well-developed is its branding?

Define your pricing policy

A very important aspect in the strategy of entering foreign e-commerce is defining a pricing strategy. This is a process aimed at establishing a balance between the profitability of international trade and the attractiveness of your offer to the consumer.

In cross-border trade via the Internet, there are additional financial burdens that you do not bear in domestic trade. However, they will affect the determination of the margin and the final price for the customer. The first task is therefore to assess all the costs associated with conducting sales abroad. This includes:

• optional product adaptation to market requirements;


• order packaging and optional additional security;


• order distribution;


• differences in VAT rates;


• possible customs and shipping fees in the case of sales outside the EU;


• currency conversions, bank and transaction fees;


• commissions and fees for selling on marketplace platforms;


• insurance for international shipments.

The most important shopping holidays in Q4

The fourth quarter (Q4) is full of events that attract hundreds of millions of consumers, making it a great opportunity for sellers who want to start selling on the platform and immediately enjoy high demand. However, as we noted above, to achieve this, preparations must begin well in advance. Which sales holidays should be included in your Q4 strategy in the first place?

Prime Big Deal Days

Prime Big Deal Days is a period when Amazon Prime members can enjoy exclusive discounts, special offers, and access to a wide range of products at discounted prices. This event is often referred to as Fall Prime Day, as it mirrors Prime Day, which takes place in October. It includes a variety of product categories, from electronics and clothing to cosmetics, sports equipment, books, and more.

Black Friday

Black Friday is an informal shopping holiday originating in the United States. It dates back to the 1960s and has been constantly evolving, increasing in popularity every year. This term was initially used by Philadelphia police officers, who referred to the first Friday after Thanksgiving Day as such. Which, due to the increased traffic of people going shopping, required them to work a 12-hour system. Initially, the negative connotations over the decades were replaced by the positive narrative of sellers, who very quickly noticed the sales potential on this day, and thus began outdoing each other with discounts in order to increase their results.

Black Friday came to Poland in 2013 and has been gaining popularity continuously for the last decade. Both Polish consumers and sellers look forward to the period of discounts and increased sales. According to data prepared by Statista, the most popular product categories in 2023 included:

• clothing and footwear (75% of buyers);


• electronics (55% of buyers);


• home accessories (49% of buyers);


• cosmetics (41% of buyers).

Cyber ​​Monday

Cyber ​​Monday is a term referring to the Monday following the American Thanksgiving weekend. Online retailers usually release special offers, discounts, and sales on this day, similar to Black Friday. The two holidays have recently been almost merged into one, with the term Black Weekend gaining popularity. It refers to the entire period between these events.

Single’s Day

The origins of Single’s Day, also known as Double Eleven, date back to the 1990s in China. Its history as a shopping event began in 2009, when Alibaba Group, one of the largest e-commerce platforms in the world, organized the first Double Eleven Shopping Festival. Jack Ma, the founder of the company, decided to use November 11 as an opportunity to attract the attention of Chinese consumers and boost online trade. As part of the first Double Eleven, Alibaba prepared numerous promotions and discounts that attracted a huge number of customers. In one day, sales of around $7.8 million were achieved.

The initial success of Single’s Day prompted other e-commerce players to follow suit, and the event soon became a nationwide and international phenomenon. Within a few years, Double
Eleven had transformed into a global shopping festival. Online shopping platforms began to expand their offers and promotions to the entire spectrum of products, from electronics and clothing to food and cosmetics.

Positioning

The appropriate positioning of your products is an extremely important aspect of selling on the marketplace in Q4. The basis of Amazon SEO is organic work. That means all free actions taken by sellers that are aimed at raising the position in search results. Particular attention should be paid to the following aspects:

• Price. It is of great importance when it comes to choosing a specific offer. However, it is not only customers who pay attention to it, but also algorithms. A competitive price is an opportunity to increase the sales;


• Customer service. It should always be at the highest level so that you can increase your chances of receiving positive reviews. This will translate into a higher position in the search engine;


• Photos and texts. Content and photographs are analysed by algorithms that look for keywords in them, in order to then index the listing in the right place. It is therefore crucial to ensure an attractive format, but also to properly saturate it with keywords;


• Efficient logistics. Fast delivery time and free delivery in the FBM or FBA model allow you to obtain the Prime badge, which increases the visibility of the offer.

The importance of SEO

When creating or optimizing a listing, you should pay particular attention to the title, bullet points, search terms and technical data of the product. The first two are crucial for Amazon SEO. You should use all available space in them, using as many keywords as possible. The strongest ones should be in the title. Additionally, it is important not to repeat them. Make sure that both the title and bullet points are easy to read and convey the most important information.

Search terms are another important element, unnoticeable on the listing. You can place keywords there that you don’t want to be seen or which you have no more space for. Technical data should provide detailed information about the item. It is crucial when customers use search engine filters. This is where a lot of information appears. Even when it has nothing to do with the product, you can still check the “does not apply to the product” box!

PPC Campaigns

After ensuring proper organic positioning, you should focus on performance marketing. That is, PPC campaigns that allow you to reach a wide range of potential consumers. What basic types of ads should you include in your strategy?

Sponsored Products

The goal of the Sponsored Products campaign is to promote products to buyers who actively search for related keywords and competitor articles. They are settled in the CPC model – cost per click. There are two basic configurations:

• automatic – after launching an ad with selected products, the campaign generates the necessary data based on the product card and information downloaded from the back-end. The algorithm displays campaigns in two designated places: in search results and under competitor listings.

• manual – the principles of their display are identical to those from the automatic ads, except for the options for selecting and dividing the targets included in the ad into: keywords, competitor ASINs and product categories. In other words – manual campaigns allow for targeting ads to selected keywords or competitor ASINs.

Sponsored Display

A type of advertising targeted at large Amazon audiences and competitor products. They are billed in two models:

• CPC – cost per click,


• VPCM (View Cost Per Mille) – cost per 1,000 viewable impressions, i.e. those in which at least 50% of the ad surface remains in the visible area of ​​the browser window for at least 1 second.

Sponsored Display ads contain a brand logo, a custom headline, and audiovisual content. They enable the following targeting:

• targeting the ad to customers who purchased a product in the same category or a category related to the product within a specified period (7-365 days),


• targeting the ad to listings of related products,


• targeting the ad to customers who purchased the advertised product within a specified period (7-365 days),


• targeting the ad to customers who viewed the ad within a given period (7-90 days),


• targeting the ad to categories in which the product is located.

Vouchers and discounts

These are percentage price reductions that affect not only conversion, but also product positioning. They are visible on the Amazon search card and in listings.

Summary

Let’s be honest – preparing to sell on marketplaces in Q4 is a multithreaded process that requires time. Therefore, it’s better to start off well in advance. Actions such as developing a strategy, creating content or obtaining the necessary documentation are just the foundation for expansion. The proper positioning and promoting products are other aspects that require not only time but also expert knowledge.

Want to develop your business in a cross-border e-commerce model and profit by selling during the peak season of Q4? Contact us and get a free consultation with a Gonito expert!

Contact us and expand your foreign sales!