A world of opportunity: time to take your sales global.

• Position: How-To GUIDE

The growth potential of international sales isn't a secret anymore. But it is still a big opportunity for merchants and manufacturers with a global vision and a can-do attitude.

A just released "how-to-sell internationally" study by multichannel retail strategists at the J.C. Williams Group offers benchmarks and tips gleaned from leading retail brands that underscores the big international sales opportunity. Consider that eBay (54 percent of sales revenue is now international) and Amazon.com (international is 47 percent of total sales) are both enjoying double-digit international growth, at 16 percent and 33 percent year-to-date respectively.

As U.S. growth continues to mature, domestic e-commerce will only total approximately 30 percent of global e-commerce sales by 2011, a growing number of marketers are re-visiting global expansion plans deemed too complex and risky not long ago. Today strategic options have expanded from an all-or-nothing mindset to a staged approach to international expansion.

NO LONGER AN ALL-OR-NOTHING PROPOSITION

A "middle" stage of international expansion is emerging, an opportunity that Jim Okamura, senior partner of the J.C. Williams Group, labels the "Participatory Stage."

"We're seeing leading retailers develop thriving cross-border businesses by working with a new breed of third-party specialists in global payment, operations and fulfillment. This reflects a broader globalization trend in retail and also helps retailers leverage investments in their U.S. web sites to improve the international customer experience."

MAKE IT EASY FOR INTERNATIONAL SHOPPERS TO BUY

Improving the international online shopping experience is one of the biggest barriers merchants face today. In fact, one of the quickest ways to lose an international customer is by not quoting them the exact "landed cost", the final invoice that includes domestic and international shipping charges, customs clearance charges and related taxes, tariffs and duties. Nothing bums out a shopper like cross-border costs totaling more than the product itself cost!

What else can you do to make international shoppers buy more from your site? Typically, the first step is to lower the costs of international shipping.

Instead of using your current shipping firm (most specialize in deliveries within U.S.) cut your international shipping costs by at least 50 percent, and often much more, by working with a global logistics firm that consolidates shipping and uses its...