Reach New Markets: Strategies to Expand Your Business Online

The CIQRA team29 September 2026 8 min read

To expand into new markets online, pick one or two countries where your data already shows demand, localize the whole buying experience (language, prices, payment methods, delivery and returns), make each version findable with a clean international SEO setup, and sort out tax and consumer rules before launch rather than after. Then measure each market separately and scale only what works.

The opportunity is real. According to Eurostat, 78% of EU internet users aged 16-74 bought or ordered goods or services online in 2025, up from 62% in 2015. But buyers abroad are not simply your home customers with a different postcode. This guide walks through the decisions that matter, in the order you will face them.

1. Choose markets with evidence, not instinct

The best first market is usually one that is already sending you signals. Before spending on a launch, look at:

  • Your own analytics: which countries already visit, add to cart or send enquiries without any targeting?
  • Search demand: are people searching for your product category in the local language, and who ranks for those terms today?
  • Delivery economics: can you ship there at a cost and speed customers will accept, including returns?
  • Regulatory load: does selling there bring new tax registrations, product labeling or safety obligations?
  • Language overlap: a second English-speaking market, or one that shares a language with a market you already serve, lowers the cost of entry.

Score a shortlist of three to five countries on these criteria and start with the one or two that score highest. Launching in ten markets at once spreads budget and attention too thin to learn anything.

2. Localize the whole experience, not just the words

Language

Translation is the entry ticket. In CSA Research's 2020 survey of 8,709 consumers in 29 countries, 76% of online shoppers said they prefer to buy products with information in their native language, and 40% said they will never buy from websites in other languages. Translate the pages that drive the decision first: product or service pages, checkout, shipping and returns information, and transactional emails. Machine translation is a reasonable first draft, but have a fluent reviewer check anything that touches price, legal terms or product safety.

Prices and total cost

Show a price the local buyer can understand, and show the full cost early. Baymard Institute's checkout research lists "extra costs too high (shipping, tax, fees)" as the most common reason shoppers abandon a purchase, cited by 40% of those who abandoned for reasons other than just browsing. For cross-border orders, be explicit about whether taxes and import duties are included and what delivery really costs.

Payment methods

Card acceptance is not the same everywhere, and wallets, bank transfers and cash on delivery play different roles by country. In the same Baymard research, 19% of abandoners did not trust the site with their card details and 9% did not find enough payment options. Research which methods are standard in your target market and offer them from day one.

Trust signals

Local contact details, clear company information, a returns policy written for that market and reviews from local customers all reduce the perceived risk of buying from a foreign store.

3. Set up international SEO correctly

A localized store only helps if people in that market can find it. Google's documentation covers the essentials:

  • Pick a URL structure. Google describes four options: country-code domains (example.de), subdomains (de.example.com), subdirectories (example.com/de/) and URL parameters. Country domains give the clearest geotargeting but cost more to run; subdirectories are easy to set up and maintain; URL parameters are not recommended.
  • Use hreflang. Annotate each language or regional version with hreflang, using ISO 639-1 language codes and, optionally, ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 region codes (for example en-GB). You can do this in HTML link tags, HTTP headers or XML sitemaps. Each version must list itself and all other versions; one-way annotations may be ignored. Use x-default for a fallback page such as a language selector.
  • Don't auto-redirect by IP. Google advises against adapting content based on IP analysis, which it calls difficult and generally not reliable. Let visitors choose their language and region, and link the versions to each other.
  • Do local keyword research. Direct translation of keywords often misses how people actually search. Research each market separately.

If you are moving an existing site to a new structure, keep old URLs working or 301-redirect them so you don't lose rankings you have already earned.

4. Plan logistics and returns before you promise delivery

Delivery speed and cost shape conversion as much as price does: in Baymard's research, 20% of abandoners left because delivery was too slow and 13% because the returns policy was unsatisfactory. Decide early whether you will ship from home, use a local warehouse or fulfillment partner, or start with a marketplace in that country. Get quotes from more than one carrier, and work out who pays return shipping and where returned goods go. A returns address in the destination country, or a consolidation service, can make returns cheaper for both sides.

5. Tax basics: the EU One Stop Shop

If you sell goods to consumers in other EU countries, the rules changed on 1 July 2021. The European Commission explains that the earlier mini One Stop Shop was extended into a One Stop Shop (OSS) from that date, with three optional schemes: the Union scheme, the non-Union scheme and the import scheme.

  • EU-wide threshold: Your Europe, the EU's official information portal, states that a threshold of EUR 10,000 applies to distance sales to customers in the EU. Below it, sales may be taxed in the country where the seller is established; above it, VAT is generally due in the customer's country.
  • One registration: under OSS, a business registers in a single Member State (the Member State of identification) and files OSS VAT returns there covering sales to other Member States. Returns are quarterly for the Union and non-Union schemes and monthly for the import scheme.
  • Imports: the import scheme (often called IOSS) covers goods imported from outside the EU in consignments with an intrinsic value not exceeding EUR 150, excluding excise goods.

There are exceptions, for example for sellers with establishments in more than one country. Treat this as orientation, not advice: confirm your position on the European Commission's OSS pages or with a tax adviser. Outside the EU, check each destination's own sales tax, VAT or GST rules before you start selling there.

6. Respect local consumer and privacy rules

Consumer law travels with your customer. In the EU, Your Europe explains that buyers can generally cancel an online purchase within 14 days of delivery without giving a reason, and that goods carry a legal guarantee of at least two years from delivery; national rules can go further. Your terms, returns page and checkout need to reflect the rules of each market you sell to.

Privacy is the other half. Many markets require consent before non-essential cookies or tracking, and consent banners should appear in the visitor's language. Also check product-specific rules (labeling, safety, packaging and electrical equipment) for your category.

7. If you sell B2B, capture leads in every language

Not every product is bought through a cart. Manufacturers and B2B sellers entering a new market usually need enquiries, not orders. The same principles apply: local-language product pages, technical content buyers can share internally, and quote or contact forms that route each enquiry to the right team. Pair digital lead capture with local trade shows and distributors, and follow up quickly in the buyer's language.

8. Measure each market on its own

Report every market separately so one country's success doesn't hide another's problems. Track at least:

  • organic visibility and traffic for each language version;
  • conversion rate and checkout abandonment by country;
  • average order value, delivery cost per order and return rate;
  • customer acquisition cost against contribution margin after tax, shipping and returns.

Set a review point, for example after one or two quarters, and decide on evidence whether to invest more, adjust or pause.

How CIQRA supports international selling

CIQRA generates per-language XML sitemaps, hreflang and canonical tags automatically, keeps old URLs in place or 301-redirects them with every 404 logged, and outputs structured data (JSON-LD) for products, prices, shipping and returns. Stores can offer payment methods such as Stripe, PayPal and bank transfer, connect carriers including DHL, UPS and FedEx, and give customers a returns portal where they start a return from their account or as a guest. Built-in cookie consent is available in 40 languages, and forms record submissions per language.

FAQ

How many markets should I launch at once?

Usually one or two. A focused launch lets you learn what localization, delivery and marketing each market actually needs before you repeat the process.

Do I need a separate domain for each country?

No. Google lists country domains, subdomains and subdirectories as valid options. Subdirectories are the simplest to maintain; country domains give the clearest geotargeting at higher cost. Whichever you choose, add hreflang.

When do I have to charge VAT in the customer's EU country?

Generally once your cross-border distance sales to EU consumers exceed the EU-wide EUR 10,000 threshold. The OSS lets you report that VAT through one registration. Check the European Commission's guidance for exceptions.

Sources

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Written by
The CIQRA team

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