How to increase sales on Shopify: 9 Best practices for international expansion

Shopify offers users many tools to scale their businesses and enter new markets. That’s why many eCommerce companies rely on Shopify to power their online stores and sell to shoppers all around the world. However, it can be challenging to entice potential customers in your target markets to visit your Shopify store and ultimately make a purchase, especially when presented with language barriers.

You probably already know you need a solid marketing strategy and targeted efforts to get sales and achieve international growth. But what exactly does boosting your Shopify sales entail? In this article, we’ll explore key strategies and best practices to help eCommerce businesses maximize their potential and drive more sales on Shopify.

How to boost your Shopify sales: Actionable tips for global success

Selling internationally on Shopify offers huge potential, but reaching global customers requires more than simply going live. From your marketing strategy to logistics to the checkout experience, every detail matters. Here are nine ways that you can increase visibility, improve the customer experience, and grow your sales on Shopify across markets.

Localize your website and online store for each of your target markets.

Localizing your website and online store on Shopify is essential for increasing sales in diverse markets. By tailoring content, language, pricing, payment methods, and shipping options, you make the shopping experience feel personal and relevant. Many eCommerce retailers looking to increase their sales on Shopify rely on Smartling’s Shopify integration to deliver these localized experiences at scale, speed up translations, and reduce manual steps. 

In addition, consider offering regionally popular products, as it aligns your offerings with local preferences and trends, boosting conversions. When customers feel the store speaks to their needs and interests, they’re more likely to complete purchases, ultimately driving higher sales on Shopify and business growth across markets.

Ensure your product descriptions are translated, engaging, and personalized.

Well-crafted product descriptions are informative and subtly persuasive, helping to convert casual browsers of your online store into committed buyers. They are also an opportunity to connect with your audiences and provide more information about who you are and what you can offer them. 

Take time to make sure all product descriptions and related information (including product specifications and measurements) are translated and localized into your audience’s native language. Seemingly small touches — e.g., featuring different images to reflect cultural differences — can further enhance customer connection and trust. These details show that you understand and respect your customers’ preferences, which can strengthen brand loyalty over time.

Optimize your product pages for each target market.

Localizing your online store and crafting engaging product descriptions for your target audiences is a great start. However, you also need to make sure your potential customers can find you.

That’s where search engine optimization (SEO) and localization come in. Search habits differ from region to region, and the SEO strategies that work for one country or market may not serve you as well in another. Localized SEO efforts, which can be facilitated with AI, can ensure that your product pages incorporate the keywords and key phrases people in your target markets use when searching for content. That, in turn, improves visibility in local search engines, drives more qualified traffic to your online store, and ultimately results in higher conversions and sales on Shopify.

Translate the product reviews on your Shopify store.

Shoppers rely heavily on the experiences of others to gauge the quality and reliability of both a product — and ultimately decide whether or not to buy. Making those insights accessible to shoppers by offering them in their native language can help the decision-making process. It also fosters trust and improves the overall shopping experience.

Fortunately, translating customer reviews doesn’t need to be resource-intensive. Smartling’s AI-powered translation workflows, for example, enable you to automate the translation of user-generated content – like customer reviews – with speed and accuracy. This not only reduces the need for manual effort but also ensures that new reviews can be translated and published in near real-time. As a result, your global customers stay informed with up-to-date insights, no matter what language they speak.

Match inventory to regional demand.

Many shoppers are accustomed to quick delivery times — and often make decisions about where and what to buy based on how quickly they can get the product. Entice customers to buy from you (and not from a competitor) by reducing shipping times and costs.

Analyzing Shopify sales data by location and accurately forecasting demand can help businesses stock popular products where they sell best. Also consider using fulfillment centers, investing in inventory management tools, and keeping a buffer of popular products to avoid running out while minimizing overstock. These strategies not only improve delivery speed but also create a smoother post-purchase experience, reducing customer service issues and increasing the likelihood of repeat purchases.

Connect with potential customers via social media marketing.

A solid marketing strategy will include consistent engagement on social media platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook. Regular interaction — through comments, direct messages, and engaging content — helps to not only build awareness, trust, and loyalty but also to create a sense of community around your brand. Savvy eCommerce businesses will also be able to glean insights into customer preferences and behaviors that they can then use to refine their brand’s value proposition in each market.

In addition, learn who the top social media influencers are in your target markets and industry and engage with them. Influencers will amplify your reach and strengthen your credibility by showcasing your products in an authentic, approachable way and encouraging their followers to check out your products. That will increase brand awareness and boost traffic to your online store, where you can turn interested followers into loyal customers.

Consider where you might be able to upsell or engage in cross-selling.

Showing shoppers related products or alternatives is a powerful way to increase your bottom line. This strategy provides an opportunity to upsell to higher-value products and supports cross-selling efforts. For example, suggesting a premium version of a product or complementary items — like accessories — enhances the shopping experience and increases average order value.

You may also want to consider offering affordable alternatives to shoppers who might be hesitant to purchase higher-end products. This approach keeps budget-conscious customers engaged, ultimately reducing bounce rates, boosting conversions, and ensuring you don't lose out on getting sales due to price concerns.

Send timely, targeted emails.

Email marketing provides eCommerce brands with opportunities to connect with customers based on their behavior, preferences, and location. For example, abandoned cart emails can remind shoppers to complete their purchases, helping reduce cart abandonment and recover lost sales.

Personalized product recommendations, discounts, information about your loyalty program, limited-time offers, or region-specific promotions can also drive conversions. By delivering the right message at the right time, email marketing keeps your brand top-of-mind, builds trust, and encourages repeat purchases, making it an essential tool for growing Shopify sales in global markets.

Make sure the checkout experience is seamless and quick.

Complicated or slow checkout processes can frustrate buyers and result in higher cart abandonment rates. So, focus on removing friction at this critical stage to ensure you make that sale. 

Key tips for building trust and making buying easy include offering local payment methods, clear shipping information, and a mobile-friendly design. Simplifying the number of steps, enabling guest checkout, and displaying prices in local currencies also improve the checkout experience, increasing your ability to get sales.

Expand Shopify sales globally with Smartling

The key to increasing sales on Shopify is to stay consistent, adaptable, and strategic. In addition to having an effective market entry strategy, a winning global strategy, and a product localization strategy, a well-executed marketing strategy is a must. ECommerce businesses that focus on boosting brand visibility via targeted marketing campaigns will see the most success. In addition, leveraging data to understand customer behavior and optimize your Shopify store’s performance is critical. Finally, personalized and seamless online shopping experiences ensure alignment with diverse market needs. That will lead to repeat customers and, ultimately, enhance brand loyalty.

Not sure where to start? Smartling can help. With Smartling’s seamless Shopify integration, you can translate your Shopify store with ease, ensuring a consistent, localized experience for global customers. Users can work directly within Shopify to send content for translation, which streamlines workflows and helps eCommerce brands reach customers around the world without introducing complex localization demands.

Watch the demo of Smartling’s Shopify integration here to learn more about how it works and how Smartling customers use it to boost their global reach and increase their sales on Shopify.