Untapped markets are a proven path to growth — but a successful expansion requires careful preparation. Without localizing your products, complying with regulations, and optimizing logistics, international expansion can quickly transform from an opportunity into a liability.

Break into Global Commerce with Amazon

The good news? If you’re doing business on Amazon, you already have the most essential tool you need to start selling internationally. While the platform’s biggest market by far is the United States at $315-340 billion a year, it’s making headway in other markets as well, including:

• Germany: $37-40 billion

• United Kingdom: $30-32 billion

• Japan: $25-30 billion

• Canada: $15-20 billion

• France: $10-15 billion

• Italy: $7-10 billion

• India: $7-10 billion

• Spain: $7-9 billion

• Brazil: $3-5 billion

• Spain: $7-9 billion

• Mexico: $2-4 billion

• Australia: $2-3 billion

• Middle East: $1-2 billion

If you’re a U.S. brand seeking customers abroad, Canada is a logical first step. Its proximity, shared time zones, similar culture, and 86% English fluency make it one of the easiest expansion markets for U.S. brands. Beyond Canada, Amazon’s strong operations in Europe offer access to a diverse range of customers, with established logistics and infrastructure to support your brand’s growth.

Exciting future growth opportunities could well include South America, itself a strategic option for Amazon’s own investments. Likewise, the ecommerce giant is making moves in Australia as an important strategic market. And just as Amazon is thinking strategically about its international investments, it’s important for brands to do the same.

Plan Your Path to Success

Where do you want your brand to be in 10 years? For instance, let’s say you want to market your brand in select European Union countries. Envision that goal, and then working backward, picture the steps you need to get there.

Build the Right Foundation
Do you have the right team and resources to localize your products and manage logistics? For instance, expanding into Germany might require translating your product listings, hiring a compliance specialist, and adjusting packaging to meet EU standards.

Tackle Regulatory Challenges
The European Union has stringent regulations around consumer protection, labeling, and environmental standards. Are your products compliant? Building a team versed in EU law can save time and costly mistakes.

Set Up the Financial Infrastructure
Each country has unique taxes, duties, and fees. For example, entering the German market may require registering for VAT and adjusting your pricing to account for import duties. A well-structured financial plan ensures smooth operations from day one.

Speak the Language

For growing brands taking their first step into a wider world, starting your internationalization efforts in a country with a similar language offers a major shortcut. But eventually, brands will turn their attention to countries with foreign languages and dissimilar cultures.

Obviously, all your customer-facing content will need to be localized for the new market. That means translating your product detail pages, researching and implementing effective keywords, search engine optimizations, and back-end search terms to be effective within the region you’re expanding. Likewise, there are compliance considerations: What languages need to be listed on your packaging and other product materials?

It’s also worth noting that localization goes beyond simply translating ad copy, although that’s certainly the first step. After all, CSA Research shows that based on a survey of “8,709 global consumers in 29 countries in Europe, Asia, North America, and South America, 76% of consumers prefer to buy products with information in their own language.” But it’s also important to culturalize your customer-facing content to develop effective outreach approaches and avoid accidentally offending consumers.

Address the Challenges of International Growth

Expansion doesn’t stop at launch. Factors like reverse logistics — handling damaged or returned items — are often overlooked but can impact profitability.

At Recom, we’ve built a process to help brands expand seamlessly:

1. Analyze the Marketplace: Evaluate competition, pricing, and demand.
2. Develop Strategic Goals: Define success metrics and build a roadmap.
3. Optimize Operations: Streamline supply chains and financial structures.
4. Execute the Plan: Implement every step with precision and guidance.

International expansion is a tremendous opportunity and Recom is ready to handle the hustle for you — contact us today.