Form for evaluating the level of preparedness

Taxation Customs

Do you know whether you must register your business and charge local taxes on your invoices in the target country?

NOTE: THIS IS A CRITICAL ASPECT.

The risks of not integrating local taxes are high, up to and including tax penalties and legal action. As a general rule, if the business: 

  • warehouses products in the destination country or state;
  • exceeds the annual remote sales threshold for the destination country, province or state; 

you must register the business with local authorities to collect and remit sales taxes (some exceptions apply). 

Note: For sales to the European Union, the rules will be changing as of July 1, 2021.

Congratulations, you have mastered this aspect! As a general rule, if the business:

  • warehouses products in the destination country or state;
  • exceeds the annual remote sales threshold for the destination country, province or state;

you must register the business with local authorities to collect and remit sales taxes (some exceptions apply). 

Note: For sales to the European Union, the rules will be changing as of July 1, 2021.

Do you know whether customs tariffs will be charged to your end customers?

NOTE: THIS IS A CRITICAL ASPECT. 

If there are customs tariffs, you are taking a risk that the product will be refused by your customer and returned to you. It is important to advise your customers that they must pay sales taxes upon reception of the product in order to avoid misunderstandings that may impact the customer experience and your reputation.

Congratulations, you have mastered this aspect! 

Consider verifying the applicable de minimis rules* in the target country on a regular basis. 

It is important to advise your customers that they must pay sales taxes upon reception of the product in order to avoid misunderstandings that may impact the customer experience and your reputation.
Note: If you are selling to the European Union, the VAT will be applied to all products entering the EU as of July 2021.

*The threshold for sales/value added taxes

Are you aware of the HS (harmonized system) code for your product and the threshold for customs tariffs in the target market?

Understanding the HS (harmonized system) codes allows you to reduce the risk that your customer will encounter unexpected costs and/or that the product will be held and returned. If the value of a shipment exceeds the threshold for customs tariffs in the target country, your customer must pay the customs tariffs in addition to the sales/value added tax (depending on the country). This could impact the customer experience and your reputation.

Congratulations, you have mastered this aspect!

However, if you have any doubts, feel free to contact the customs service in the target country, which will issue a "ruling". 

Formulaire d'évaluation du niveau de préparation

Marketing

Have you adapted your product to the target market?

By not taking into consideration the specific characteristics of the target country (culture, language, etc.), you are taking a risk that your product will not sell or will receive negative evaluations from purchasers.

Congratulations, you have mastered this aspect! Your product should be well received by consumers in the target country.

Have you translated your offer (website, product pages on marketplaces, packaging, instruction manual, etc.) into the language of the target country?

By not translating your offer, you are taking a risk that it will not be understood or poorly understood. This could impact your sales and your financial projections.

Congratulations, you have mastered this aspect! It is worthwhile to note that there are subsidies available to help you translate your website into the language of the target country.

Have you planned for customer service in the local language?

If you do not speak the language of the country fluently, it may be necessary to outsource your customer service. Depending on the sales volume and the complexity of the product, instant translation tools like "Google Translate" may not be adequate. After-sales service is an important factor in customer satisfaction, and could significantly impact sales through positive/negative customer evaluations. 

Congratulations, you have mastered this aspect! If you do not speak the language of the country fluently, it may be necessary to outsource your customer service. Depending on the sales volume and the complexity of the product, instant translation tools like "Google Translate" may not be adequate. After-sales service is an important factor in customer satisfaction, and could significantly impact sales through positive/negative customer evaluations.

Have you optimized the content of your website for the foreign market to improve your natural referencing (SEO)?

You risk not being visible to your target audience by being organically absent from the first page of results in Google. In fact, more than 90% of traffic on Google is generated exclusively from the first page. Among the key activities that you should consider, we recommend conducting an SEO audit, carrying out keyword searches, analyzing your current positioning with respect to that of your competitors, optimizing the existing content of your website and your local presence, creating new content on the site or even obtaining external links that direct users to your site, among others.

Congratulations, you have mastered this aspect! An optimized website is a key success factor for appearing among the first results on search engines. Update the content for your site on a regular basis, and be sure the information is easy to access. The more frequently a site is visited, the higher it climbs among search results. 

Have you planned a content marketing strategy?

Content marketing is not indispensable, but it is a simple and effective way to direct traffic toward your product offer.

Congratulations, you have mastered this aspect! Content marketing is a simple and effective way to direct traffic toward your product offer.

Have you invested in paid referencing on search engines (SEM)?

Obtaining tangible results through SEO alone may take months. On the one hand, you should ensure that your site is fast and user friendly, and on the other hand, demonstrate to Google that your site is trusted by other Internet users (primarily through external links that direct to your site). By not employing SEM, you run the risk of not being visible to your target audience.

Note: Employing SEM without having optimized your site could do more harm than good. In effect, Google has assigned a Quality score to your site, and if Google observes that users quickly leave your site after clicking on your ad because of an unpleasant experience, every click will cost you more. Using both approaches is equally fundamental. As soon as you start to appear in more organic search results, you can also invest in other keywords to increase your scope and reach more customers.

Congratulations, you have mastered this aspect! You are using a digital marketing approach that makes sense from a financial perspective for two main reasons: 

  • It involves targeted campaigns, and the costs of the campaign only apply when users click on your commercial link (cost per click or CPC);
  • More importantly, it also involves an additional natural referencing marketing tool (SEO).
Do you have an active strategy for social networks?

Social networks have become indispensable for all businesses, regardless of the activity sector. Not maintaining a social network presence will limit your ability to: 

  • create relationships with your prospects and customers; 
  • increase awareness of your brand; 
  • prove your authenticity; 
  • get your audience engaged with your brand; 
  • provide the type of customer service that consumers have come to expect via this type of platform.

Congratulations, you have mastered this aspect! With billions of consumers around the world using social networks every day, the importance of maintaining a presence on social networks has been well established.

Are you aware of the possibilities available through sales on platforms like Amazon, eBay and others in the target country?

Note: You run the risk of ignoring a very significant customer base, namely those who like to shop online!

For example, Amazon Global selling enables you to list and sell your products on one of its marketplaces in the Americas, Asia-Pacific, the Middle East and Europe. It is worth noting that Amazon currently operates in 16 markets around the globe.

Marketplaces allow you to increase your sales by taking advantage of their scope, reputation, logistics and marketing, along with the trust that customers have developed in shopping there. It would be a mistake to ignore this avenue!

Congratulations, you have mastered this aspect! In addition to the possibility of reaching a much larger number of customers, this will also significantly enhance the visibility of your brand.

Formulaire d'évaluation du niveau de préparation

Operations

Do you know whether your product complies with standards in the target country?

NOTE: THIS IS A CRITICAL ASPECT.

Non-compliance with standards could lead to your product being held at customs, damaging the reputation of your business and legal action.

Congratulations, you have mastered this aspect! It is worthwhile to note that there are subsidies available to help you get your product certified, depending on the target country.

Have you registered your trademark in the target country?

NOTE: THIS IS A CRITICAL ASPECT.

Your trademark is an important asset for your business. If you do not protect it, you are taking a risk that another organization may register it in the target country, and then become the legal right holder. There is also a significant risk that legal action could be taken against your business, damaging your sales and your reputation.

Congratulations, you have mastered this aspect! You have protected one of the most important assets of your business. Do not forget to register your trademark in all new target countries. It is worthwhile to note that there are subsidies available to assist you in this regard.

Formulaire d'évaluation du niveau de préparation

Logistics

Have you prepared a return strategy for your products?

Note: When it comes to returning merchandise sold online, you may be in for a surprise! If your product is able to be returned, it is important to accurately estimate the average delivery costs for the market, or use the services of a local warehousing partner if your sales volume warrants it. In addition, be sure to comply with the marketplace’s rules governing international returns.

Congratulations, you have mastered this aspect! Facilitating returns allows you to increase sales opportunities in new markets and to maintain good relations with your customers.

Do you have an accurate understanding of the shipping costs?

NOTE: THIS IS A CRITICAL ASPECT.

Inaccurately estimating delivery (and return) costs can result in significant losses. When it comes to carrying out your calculations and/or finding the best rates with reasonable delivery times, tariff comparators help you to reduce the costs of international shipments.

Congratulations, you have mastered this aspect! In a market where free delivery is the norm, it is important to calculate the costs accurately and to select a reliable delivery partner.

Have you considered whether shipping will be handled internally or externally?

Did you know that you can stop worrying about the logistics function and take advantage of the expertise of specialists in the warehousing sector who are intimately familiar with your target market (consumer expectations, the right delivery partners, market standards)? In fact, they will sometimes even manage your returns!

Congratulations, you have mastered this aspect! Determining whether to handle logistics yourself or to have it handled by a third party is essential, because it may not be your speciality. We recommend that you maximize your time on what matters most: market development!

Formulaire d'évaluation du niveau de préparation

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