Global ecommerce offers an exciting opportunity to expand your business beyond borders and connect with new customers. From increasing revenue potential to diversifying customer bases, there are many benefits to going global.
But entering international markets comes with its own set of challenges. Logistics, taxes and duties, local regulations, language barriers, and currency conversions are all crucial considerations. Successfully navigating these complexities requires the right tools, from sales tax automation and payment processing to carrier-calculated shipping solutions and translators.
Here’s how you can confidently manage the intricacies of international sales, and how Squarespace can help you explore your global opportunities.
What is international ecommerce?
International ecommerce is a broad topic, but it boils down to the online sale of goods and services to customers outside of your home country. For perspective, the value of global ecommerce has grown every year between 2022 and 2025, from $5.29 trillion to $6.86 trillion. That means more business owners are selling outside of their home country every year, and there’s growing opportunities in expanding your business to sell internationally.
The numbers also underscore that global ecommerce has become the norm for many businesses. If you’re not already selling internationally, you could be overlooking a key growth strategy for your brand.
Reasons to sell internationally online
Global ecommerce has significant advantages for businesses of all sizes, especially small businesses.
Increased revenue and customer reach: You can reach many more potential buyers, expanding your earning potential. That expanded pool of customers gives you the opportunity to diversify your offerings and grow your sales.
Business growth and resilience: International sales can translate to increased order volume, lower operating costs, and stronger negotiating power with suppliers. Having customers in more places can also protect you during economic slumps.
Competitive advantages: International expansion gives you an edge over competitors who only sell domestically. Growing globally also gives your business more credibility, as more people trust and know your brand.
Innovation and efficiency: Expanding to new markets can mean adopting more advanced tools and best practices, which can level up your efficiency and service across your business.
How to sell internationally on Squarespace
Selling internationally can have a real impact on your business growth, but preparation and the right tools are key before you launch any international sales. Squarespace has built-in features to help you make the transition smoothly and close more international sales.
Carrier-calculated shipping: Calculate shipping costs at checkout based on your customer's address and shopping cart, with real-time domestic shipping rates from popular local carriers. At checkout, rates are automatically calculated based on the destination, size, and weight of the order.
Automated taxes: Squarespace Automated Tax can automatically calculate sales tax, VAT, and GST domestically and abroad in over 100 countries and can apply different tax rates based on product tax codes.
Squarespace Payments: Squarespace’s native payment tool helps you accept payments and donations, and manage payouts from your Squarespace dashboard.
Alternative payment methods: Squarespace Payments supports multiple payment methods, including credit/debit, digital wallets (Apple Pay, Google Pay, Stripe Link), buy now pay later solutions (Klarna, Afterpay/Clearpay), and ACH direct debit (U.S. only).
Note: Squarespace Payments is currently available in select countries, and continuing to roll out in additional locations.
Squarespace also integrates with powerful extensions that take care of important aspects of global ecommerce, like translation and international shipping.
Weglot Translate: Cater to international website visitors by translating your website into multiple languages and ensuring they’re visible in international search results.
Easyship: Give your international customers fast, easy, affordable shipping and cut down on your shipping costs.
Sendcloud: Connect to a wide variety of carriers worldwide, offer tracking and returns, quickly print shipping labels, and more.
TinyCurrency: Convert currency across multiple countries and track rates so you can charge accurately depending on where your customers are located.
Alongside these tools, there are a few best practices that can smooth your transition to international selling.
For example, you’ll want to add clear shipping and return policies for international customers on your site. Consider providing a FAQ section on your site to communicate those policies. These measures can help reduce abandoned carts due to unexpected costs at checkout.
It’s also wise to use product descriptions and marketing copy that resonate globally and avoid culture-specific references unless it’s necessary. For example, if you’re based in the U.S. and hoping to reach customers in the Southern Hemisphere, you might want to keep season-specific language out of your marketing and product copy, since summer and fall happen at different times of year. Staying on top of regional holidays can also open up marketing opportunities.
Tips for creating a global ecommerce strategy
The first step to global ecommerce is deciding where to expand and understanding why those markets make sense for your business. To decide where you’ll sell, consider factors like:
Market demand for your products
Competitive landscape
Cultural alignment with your brand
Purchasing power in that location
Language compatibility
Once you’ve chosen where you’ll start expanding, apply each of these considerations to any location you want to sell in.
Market research
Thorough market research is essential when expanding internationally. It helps you identify what types of people would be interested in your products, understand cultural preferences, evaluate local competition, and anticipate potential barriers to entry.
A good place to start is with local competitors. These can help you get a sense of how they talk to customers and what types of people they’re serving. You research more deeply from there.
Insights from this research can inform everything from pricing strategies to product offerings and marketing approaches. By investing in market research up front, you can tailor your expansion strategy for each new market and increase your chances of success.
Read our guide to doing competitor research
Compliance
Compliance is crucial to avoid legal pitfalls. You’ll need to understand and adhere to each market’s regulations, including product standards, labeling requirements, data privacy laws like GDPR, and import/export restrictions.
Your website platform may be able to help you with some of these. On Squarespace, you can add a customized cookie banner and imprint page listing required business details to stay compliant with data consent laws and other important guidelines.
Tax obligations, such as VAT or duties, also vary by country and must be calculated and collected accurately. Working with legal and tax experts or using ecommerce tools that support compliance, like automated sales tax, can help ensure your international operations run smoothly and lawfully.
Localization
Localization goes beyond simple translation, it’s about adapting your customer experience to resonate with each target market. This may include offering local language options on your website, preferred payment methods, and culturally relevant imagery and messaging. Businesses on Squarespace can use the extensions noted above to more easily localize their websites.
Even small details, like date formats or units of measure, can impact trust and usability. A well-localized site helps international customers feel at home, making them more likely to complete a purchase and engage with your brand long-term.
Customer service
When selling internationally, customer service becomes even more critical and nuanced. You’ll need to consider time zone differences and offer support during hours that align with your customers' locations.
Language barriers may require multilingual support or at least clear, accessible communication in your chosen markets. Be prepared to address questions around shipping times, returns, and local customs that international buyers often have. It’s also important to adapt your tone and style to different cultural expectations around service and professionalism.
Also, ensure that your support channels—email, chat, social media—can handle international inquiries smoothly and promptly. If you can only offer support during certain hours, communicate that clearly. Transparency and thoughtfulness will build trust and satisfaction across borders.
Payment and fulfillment
Handling payments and fulfillment effectively is key to a smooth international selling experience. You'll need to offer trusted payment options to build customer confidence, but those can differ by location. Make sure your payment tools can accept credit cards, ACH debit, and other popular payment options like digital wallets or Klarna and Afterpay.
On the fulfillment side, consider shipping partners, delivery times, and costs carefully. Be transparent about shipping policies and any duties or taxes customers may face. A well-thought-out payment and fulfillment strategy not only enhances the customer experience but also minimizes costly returns and logistical headaches for you.
Expanding your business internationally is an exciting step, and with the right preparation and tools, it’s well within reach. Squarespace has everything you need to start selling globally, connect with customers worldwide, and expand. From automated taxes to integrated shipping and translation tools, you can build a brand that stands out and operates smoothly, no matter where your next customers come from.