How do you expand your business internationally?

Going international is much more than just geographic expansion: it's a strategic transformation, bringing with it both opportunities and complex challenges.

Exporting a product doesn't simply mean crossing borders. It often means rethinking, adapting and sometimes even reinventing it to meet local realities. Technical standards, cultural sensitivities, specific regulations... each market has its own rules of the game.

Even before diving into logistics, translation or marketing, there's a crucial step to take: building a solid, coherent offering capable of shining on all fronts.

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How do you identify priority markets?

The first step in an international expansion strategy is to accurately identify target markets. It's not simply a question of choosing countries according to their size or geographical proximity, but of drawing on an in-depth strategic analysis. The aim: to concentrate efforts on those areas offering the best development potential for the product offering.

Analyze local trends

It's essential to start by analyzing local trends. 

Understanding the habits of local consumers, the dynamics of the market, or even the average budget of customers is essential. A product that's a hit in France can go unnoticed abroad, simply because it doesn't meet the same expectations or consumption patterns.

Prioritize countries according to accessibility

Not all markets are created equal. Some offer ideal conditions: flexible regulations, advantageous taxes or advanced digitalization, all of which accelerate product launches. On the other hand, seemingly promising destinations can hide pitfalls - red tape, fierce competition - and drive up costs much faster than expected.

Understanding consumer expectations

Should the product be modified? What are the decisive criteria for local customers - values, formats, mandatory labels? These are all crucial questions to anticipate in order to build a solid international strategy and avoid missteps.

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Map the products concerned

Once you've identified your target markets, it's essential to determine which products in your catalog are really relevant to international markets. Not all products are suitable for immediate export, nor are they compatible with the local characteristics of the target markets.

Segment the existing offer

The key: sort your products into :

• Those ready for export without modification ;
• Those requiring reworking (packaging, standards, etc.) ;
• And those that are too complex or risky for initial deployment.

This prioritization avoids dispersing resources.

Identify sensitive attributes

Beware of details such as product name, ingredients, size, labeling, visuals, slogans, etc. Everything can become a hindrance depending on the country. The trick? Detect them from the outset:

• What needs to be changed (e.g., a locally controversial logo);
• What can be kept (e.g. universal packaging) ;
• What should be deleted (e.g. inappropriate sales pitch).

A thorough audit avoids unpleasant surprises on arrival

Laying a clear organizational foundation

This mapping requires a structured approach. Centralizing product information, classifying SKUs, and anticipating country-specific variations are key actions. A Product Information Management (PIM ) tool becomes a real ally in structuring, filtering and adapting content in a scalable way.

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Adapting to local requirements

Exporting a product involves much more than translating it or packaging it differently. Each target market has its own set of rules, which must be mastered to ensure smooth, compliant marketing.

Integrate regulatory constraints

Each market imposes its own rules: compulsory legal information, specific certifications, restrictions on certain components or materials, labeling requirements, etc. Ignorance of these constraints can lead to customs blockages, or even penalties. These requirements must be included in the product data sheet right from the design phase.

Adapting to logistical realities

Please note: logistics differ radically from country to country. Certain types of packaging, formats or packing methods may not be adapted to local standards, and may even add significantly to costs. It's imperative to systematically adjust product data (weight, dimensions, units) to the logistical realities of each market.

Anticipating cultural differences

Expectations of a product vary from one culture to another: sales pitches, visuals, values, etc. The same product may elicit very different reactions according to purchasing habits or local sensitivities. Structuring your product content with sufficient flexibility enables you to address these variations without multiplying manual versions.

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Structure your product information upstream

Even before deploying an international strategy, it's crucial to lay the right foundations in terms of product information management. Without a solid foundation, every local adaptation becomes a headache, slowing down time-to-market and increasing the risk of errors or inconsistencies.

Centralize and unify data

Effective expansion relies on a single source of truth for all product information. Bringing together marketing, technical, logistical and regulatory data in a PIM like Quable provides a clear, structured and homogeneous view of your catalog, whatever the number of products or markets targeted.

Preparing content for broadcast

Internationalization implies variations by market: translations, units of measurement, localized visuals, specific legal notices, etc. A PIM facilitates the management of these variations, by enabling data to be segmented by language, country or channel, while maintaining basic consistency. This makes it possible to speed up launches abroad, without sacrificing quality.

Gain agility and scalability

Structuring your product information also means giving yourself the means to react quickly to local requirements or business opportunities. With Quable, marketing, sales and regulatory teams work together on a single platform, streamlining processes, reducing time-to-market and facilitating onboarding in new countries without having to start from scratch.

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Conclusion

Going international is not something you can improvise. Before thinking about logistics, marketing or distribution, brands are well advised to invest in rigorous preparation of their product offering. 

Identifying the right markets, selecting the right products, understanding local requirements and structuring information are key steps in avoiding the most common pitfalls. A poorly positioned, misrepresented or non-compliant product can hinder market entry and damage brand reputation. Conversely, a strategy based on reliable, centralized and scalable product information enables you to approach each new country with agility and consistency. 

Thanks to a PIM like Quable, companies have a solid foundation on which to pilot their international growth, guaranteeing the uniformity and relevance of their content, while gaining in speed of execution. In this way, internationalization becomes a natural extension of their product strategy.