By Kristina Knight
BizReport - December 2, 2013
Over the past two years, cross channel promotions have become huge for retailers. Using social to build customer profiles that can work to target video viewers, for example, but one more strategy has been to take international ad strategies to the local level - targeting non-English speakers within the US, for example.
Billy Nava, Vice President of Retail Solutions, TransPerfect: From Back to School data, brands can build cross-channel campaigns geared to mom-shoppers to allow them to get more done in one shop. Brands can build interactive grids to test what items are converting the best and from there can tie-in from different verticals - electronics, for example. And then, brands can set a dollar-threshold which will give the shopper additional deals - free shipping - or even /discounts coupons for 'sister' retailers. There are also brands who are having success building 'bundles' based on past purchases - bundling school supplies, for example.
Kristina: What are your top three tips for brands thinking about making that international move?
Billy: 1 - for smaller domestic brands/mid-tier retailers you need to understand the tax laws on apparel as well as freight/logistics laws. You have to take duties, etc., so you have to do due diligence to look at the costs of doing business in Asia versus south America
2 - payment options - there are difference country to country in how people prefer to pay for items. There are also differences in how people buy - in China, for example, a person might buy three garments and then return two of them and in Brazil, buyers like multi-pay options. You have to know these things before you move forward.
3 - Localize the dialect - in South America, you need different dialects of Spanish and in Europe you need to offer at least 3 language options. In Asia there could be 14 different languages and dialects. And those languages will impact your SEO options - without the right dialect, shoppers might not be able to find a retailer's site even when they are very interested in those items. You have to develop a solid marketing strategy to gain those shoppers and once that is developed you have to work on visibility and targeting so that shoppers return over and over for conversions
Kristina: Could these tips be used on a local level, for brands trying to connect with an immigrant population? How?
Billy: I've been working with several brands who are doing this. Some brands are having success by targeting according to demographics and languages. These businesses are building databases by asking about home-countries, interests, language preferences and they are using that data to engage immigrants in the US. They are also developing different messages and messaging tactics to target Chinese immigrants in the US versus second or third generation Americans.