Edition II

Welcome to the eCommerce Insider, a newsletter designed to provide U.S. firms with access to knowledge and services to succeed in global eCommerce.

Click here to subscribe to this newsletter and receive eCommerce updates. 

• Featured Topic: Get Paid
• Resource of the Month
• Activities
• Industry Insights
• Outreach

Meet the Global eCommerce Team

Featured Topic: Get Paid

Each month we profile one of nine fundamental areas of consideration when building your eCommerce export strategy.

• Identify market opportunities
• Protect your brand
• Choose the right channel mix
• Optimize your user experience
• Build your digital brand
• Price your products
• Get paid
• Ship your products
• After sales services

What’s in your overseas customer’s wallet?
It’s been a long time coming but the mobile payment ecosystem has arrived. Mobile payments exceeded $670 billion USD in 2015 across the 46 markets researched by Euromonitor. As Alipay, Paypal, Apple Pay, Google Wallet, Samsung and others compete for dominance over this new flow of digital money, your overseas consumers are embracing the change. For example, mobile money wallets are becoming increasingly popular in countries like India, where there are far more people with mobile phones than active bank accounts. More Info

VAT – Value Added Tax
With different VAT/GST regimes across the globe, the challenge in complying in different markets can be extremely overwhelming.  In Europe, for example, each country has different VAT / GST statutory obligations, different filing periodicities, different VAT rates and varying fiscal representative requirements all depending on your business and its supply chain and to whom you are selling. An example of a service that addresses these issues is VatGlobal. While VatGlobal has participated in our events, we have no direct experience using their service. They are simply an example of the direction service providers are going in terms of remote servicing of VAT issues for our clients. Article on VAT for EU: http://Vatglobal.Com/Services/Vat-For-Ecommerce

Resource of the Month

Google’s Global Market Finder Tool
Do you know who is searching for your products in overseas markets? Here is a free tool from Google that enables you to view the number of searches consumers have conducted for your products, based on search terms, in different markets across the globe. You can search in English or any number of languages. This can serve as a proxy to identify consumer trends and market opportunities. Give it a try here

Activities

Virtual Product Pitch Program

In August we concluded a successful U.S.  But you can still participate.  Pet Products Virtual Product Pitch to Brazilian buyers. If you have a U.S.-made pet product you would like to pitch to overseas buyers in other markets, contact: Suzette Nickle 303-844-5655, suzette.nickle@trade.gov

Taiwan Business-to-Business Product Pitch Session - November 7, 2016
To take advantage of Taiwan’s sophisticated eCommerce channel, the eCommerce Innovation Lab is organizing a “virtual” product pitch connecting U.S. companies with leading Taiwanese eCommerce platforms.
Taiwan’s eCommerce sector enjoys an estimated annual growth rate of 12%, reaching USD $37 billion this year.  Taiwan boasts one of the region’s highest smartphone penetration rates (94%). 70% of all Taiwanese consumers make mobile purchases and they spend 72 minutes per day shopping online.
Product Categories: General consumer goods
Opportunity - Tap into and test the waters in a U.S.-product-friendly Asian market
Efficiency - Pitch in 5-7 minutes
Immediate feedback - Receive input from decision makers who understand product trends and success factors
Cost saving - No travel necessary
Convenience - Connect from your office or home phone (internet connection required)
Personalized - Taiwanese eCommerce channel introduction provided by U.S. Commercial Service staff in advance of Pitch
Deadline to register is October 21, 2016
For More Information: Suzette Nickle 303-844-5655, suzette.nickle@trade.gov

Events

Retail's Digital Summit - Dallas, TX - September 26-28, 2016
This is a private-sector hosted event by the National Retail Federation’s Shop.org. This event helps retail companies incorporate digital retail into their future strategy. The eCommerce Innovation Lab will be attending and conducting interviews with industry experts and retailers with proven eCommerce export success.

eCommerce Calendar of Events around the Globe Click Here to view the calendar

Industry Insights

Small businesses get Facebook tools to find global customers
Facebook is expanding its services to small businesses that want to sell to customers in other countries.
Full article

Focus Shifts to Social Media Marketing in Asia Pacific
Marketing departments in Asia Pacific are shifting focus and budget to social media. Nearly half (46 percent) of marketers are using social media monitoring to inform overall planning, more than any other source.
Full article

What B2B Marketers Need to Know About Social Media in China
B2B marketers face a challenge in China. They know there is a significant audience on social networks, but which one is right for your business?
Full article

More small businesses put focus on a mobile-first strategy
Full Article

Outreach

The Commercial Service Launches Virtual eCommerce Training Senior International Trade Specialist Cynthia Torres and Director of the eCommerce Innovation Lab, Joshua Halpern, conducted the first digital video conference seminar highlighting the key elements of an eCommerce export strategy. Via remote video from Silicon Valley, Mr. Halpern hosted four industry experts representing solution providers across the eCommerce services spectrum, including iGlobal Stores, SimilarWeb, VAT Global, and OFX. All four speakers joined the call from remote locations in New York, Colorado, Utah, and California.   Thank you to Victoria Dyne from VATGlobal Victoria.Dyne@vatcompliance.com and Ben Winterroth BenWinterroth@usforex.com from OFX for highlighting cutting edge solutions related to this month’s topic, "Get paid". Among other services, VATGlobal can help U.S. online sellers operate within full compliance on a global scale, prepare and file their tax returns timeously and ensure all VAT liabilities are settled. OFX can open unique local currency collection accounts on a U.S. seller’s behalf (USD, CAD, GBP, EUR, HKD, and AUD) and repatriate international revenues at reduced rates.

StartUp Global New York City

Industry panel and workshop on cross-border eCommerce strategy

Growth, Innovation and Leadership: Silicon Valley

"The disruptive mindset is alive and well within the Department of Commerce's Commercial Service. The challenge for any large organization is building the channels to empower business units to work together to bring ideas to market.  We have an innovation task force looking intensely at our internal processes for shepherding new services to our clients.  And again, it is a challenge."  Joshua Halpern, Director, U.S. Department of Commerce's eCommerce Innovation Lab during the Frost and Sullivan Growth, Innovation & Leadership Summit in Silicon Valley on September 13th. More Info

Contact Us

EIL has included third-party content in this newsletter to provide additional relevant information to small and medium-sized U.S. exporters on e-commerce-related resources.  References and links to this content are for the convenience of readers.  The U.S. Department of Commerce is not responsible for the availability or content of any third-party content, whether found on an external site or otherwise; nor does the Department endorse, warrant, or guarantee the products, services, or information described or offered in any third-party content.  Please be aware that when you follow a link to an external site, you are then subject to the privacy and security policies and protections of the new site.