E-EXPORT CHALLENGE OF TURKISH BRANDS

If you strive for the better without being affected by the negativities experienced, success will surely come to your way

Many brands in the e-commerce sector, which finished the year 2022 with an increase of over 100 percent, have been taking steps to sell their products to different markets for a long time, participating in fairs related to this issue and receiving training. Euromonitor data shows that the global cross-border e-commerce retail value was USD 3.5 trillion in 2022, and the expenditures made by people abroad in Türkiye were TRY 33.8 billion in 2022. The e-export volume in Türkiye has increased 2.8 times in a three-year period, while the global cross-border e-commerce volume has increased 2.5 times in the last five years. These figures show that e-export keeps being a potential for our country, and the interest of brands in e-export is increasing day by day due to the recent increase in exchange rates.

Despite the fact that companies have an interest in e-export, they are hesitant since they have questions about which product to sell, do not know in which country they can sell the relevant product, are not capable of appealing to an international audience in terms of after-sales service, experience foreign language problems, have difficulties in logistics services and be obliged pay high fees for certain studies. The events we hold in various cities have shown us that the owners of the companies are enthusiastic about e-export, but instead of asking themselves the questions such as which product should they sell, which market should they enter, what kind of pricing should they apply, how can they compete with their competitors, they only pay attention to the pricing of their products and possible earnings. However, brands willing to expand abroad need to think long-term, position their vision accordingly, and start transactions in this way, rather than aiming to make profits in the short term.

E-export keepsbeing a potentialfor our country, and the interest of brands in e-export is increasing day by day due to the recent increase in exchange rates

Many incentives are offered by the government to those willing to do e-export, and payment support is offered for many items from product research to marketing studies. At the initial stage, the incentives should be analyzed and information should be obtained about how much incentive is given in which area and under what conditions. In the next stage, the product should be decided and surveys should be done about the markets the said product will be presented to. Following the selection of the product and the target market, the sales channel to be used should be decided. Even though some of the companies that enter e-export try to do e-export on their own web page, many brands sell their products in high-traffic marketplaces where consumer trust is higher due to the popularity of the relevant marketplace and the traffic is more intense due to the marketing efforts, therefore, the selection of a known marketplace makes the process go more smoothly. It may sound good to sell in an international marketplace, however, it will not be easy to stand out among millions of companies. In this sense, starting a business with a consultancy company specialized in the relevant area might minimize the cost of learning and protect you from big mistakes and loss of time. I came across the news that the stores were closed due to minor mistakes made in the marketplaces and that a lot of effort was required to open them back. I have also come across many companies attempting to attract customers to their stores in a marketplace, yet cannot get the desired result. In this sense, I believe that is useful to get a consultancy service according to the budget. Here, you need to set a time period for yourself and be prepared to learn everything in the best way until then and have enough knowledge to take everything under your control at the end of the consultancy service. Besides, it is very important to get in touch with institutions such as the Türkiye Exporters Assembly and the Export Promotion Centre and learn about the support you can get from them. It will be very useful to meet hundreds of sellers these institutions might introduce you to and to exchange ideas with them and benefit from their experiences.

Many incentives are offered by the government to those willing to do e-export, and payment support is offered for many items from product research to marketing studies

Except for customs procedures and various regulations, most of the issues are the same as e-commerce. Being able to explain what needs the product meets, presenting it with quality pictures from different angles and explaining it with rich content will always be the main rules that do not change. Of course, providing the customer with the necessary convenience in fast delivery and possible returns will also be among the other important factors. In Türkiye, for some reason, the returned product is not taken into account in the calculation of the profitability ratio, so many businesses think that they are making a profit and close the relevant period with a loss.

Product return is an issue with both operational burdens and financial burdens for the company, so each detail should be paid attention to in order to minimize the return of the product while selling the product abroad. Companies should decide on the warehouse accordingly and should decide whether to rent their own warehouse or to keep the products in the warehouse of the marketplace.

At the end of the day, earning foreign exchange has become very important for our country’s economy, especially in recent years, and we should improve ourselves on how we can sell products abroad, and follow the training and seminars in this regard. You should watch the speeches of experts on YouTube, take the necessary notes, carefully look at the pages of people selling similar products in the marketplaces and get ideas. Many brands that expanded abroad were not successful in the first place, some of them gave up and closed their stores, while others took lessons from their mistakes and continued the operation patiently. Perseverance is necessary for success in this field, if you strive for the better without being affected by the negativities experienced, success will surely come to your way.