EU financial support for national, regional and local communities fighting Coronavirus

19/03/2020

On 18 March 2020 Commissioners Elisa Ferreira responsible for Cohesion and Reforms and Nicolas Schmit responsible for Jobs and Social Rights have sent letters to all the EU countries to inform them on the individual support they can receive under the Coronavirus Response Investment Initiative (CRII). 

The letters, available in the page Coronavirus Response Investment Initiative, provide details on the amounts available for each country, the type of expenditure newly eligible under the EU structural and solidarity funds - for instance to support health systems, procure medical equipment or ensure access to healthcare for vulnerable groups, and the current possibilities to mobilise financing through ERDF and ESF. 

Moreover, the Commission services provide integrated support to Member States through dedicated CRII country teams. The teams will ensure good information flow and fast decision-making at the most practical level, as well as discuss State aid, financial regulation compliance issues or involvement of the European Investment Fund.

For more information:

• Coronavirus Response Investment Initiative
• Cohesion Policy and EU Solidarity Fund contribute to the Coronavirus Response Investment Initiative

Netherlands sustainable international investment

Netherlands emerges as catalyst for significant sustainable international investment

– Attracts global investment from key players including Japan’s Mitsubishi Corporation

– Mitsubishi is lead investor in $50m Series D for BBOXX, a next generation utility

– Investment is delivering energy access across Africa

23 October 2019 – The Netherlands is unlocking significant levels of investment capital to address global challenges.

It is emerging as a prominent hub for investors looking to channel capital to achieve a measurable social and environmental impact, combining business with purpose.

This trend includes Dutch organisations such as DOEN Participaties, an impact investment fund supporting sustainable and social startups and Oikocredit, one of the world’s largest private investors in the micro finance sector.

They have channelled significant investments into BBOXX, a next generation utility and helped BBOXX to positively impact nearly one million people across 12 African countries through access to pay-as-you-go (PAYG) solar energy using mobile money.

DOEN Participaties also recently invested in BBOXX’s latest $50 million funding round led by Mitsubishi Corporation, a global integrated business enterprise headquartered in Japan. The initial Dutch investment has enabled BBOXX to accelerate its mission to transform lives and unlock potential and was a key factor in securing investment from Mitsubishi Corporation.

The deal gained further global interest with additional investors from France (ENGIE Rassembleurs d’Energies), Luxembourg (Bamboo Capital Partners) and Canada (MacKinnon, Bennett & Company (MKB), demonstrating how the global community is embracing sustainability and leveraging high growth companies as tools for development.

DOEN Participaties first became an equity investor in BBOXX in 2016, contributing to its $20 million Series C funding round. Earlier this year, Africa Infrastructure Investment Managers’ (AIIM) invested USD 31 million in BBOXX enabling them to expand operations in Rwanda, Kenya and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Mansoor Hamayun, CEO and Co-founder, BBOXX, said: “The Netherlands is emerging as a hub for this crucial type of financing. Its progressive approach is due to the solid framework

it has in place, helped by high public awareness, an active civil society and business-friendly policies. The country’s interest in cleaner, greener energy has caught the attention of major corporates and undoubtedly led to us receiving investment from Mitsubishi Corporation.”

“We look forward to our next phase of growth that will help us to transform more lives, unlock potential and grow our already global footprint by opening up new markets and develop further our product range.”

Katsuya Nakanishi, EVP and Group CEO, Power Solution Group, Mitsubishi Corporation, said: “Our investment into BBOXX, alongside investors from the Netherlands and other parts of the world, is the latest in our drive to realise a sustainable society. It is simultaneously the result of our strong alignment with BBOXX’s mission to use technology to expand access to modern utilities across the globe. We look forward to working with BBOXX to innovatively and sustainably deliver much-needed utilities to communities currently living without them.”

Michelle de Rijk, impact investment manager DOEN Participaties commented: “Millions of people still live without access to reliable energy or other essential modern utilities. To change this we started investing in BBOXX in 2016 and with our help, BBOXX has positively impacted nearly one million people to date by providing them access to affordable clean energy. We look forward to continuing our work together to close the energy access gap worldwide.”

– ENDS –

About BBOXX

BBOXX is a next generation utility, transforming lives and unlocking potential through the provision of affordable, reliable and clean energy and other modern utilities. BBOXX is enabling economic development in off-grid communities by creating new markets through the entry point of electricity. Energy provision brings people into the digital economy and creates demand in other areas including – gas, water, internet and finance – a demand which the company also seeks to meet.

So far, BBOXX has deployed close to 270,000 solar home systems, of which 200,000 are remotely monitored via BBOXX Pulse™, positively impacting the lives of nearly one million people. BBOXX has over 800 staff across nine offices including in Rwanda, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Togo, with its head office in the UK and its manufacturing operations based in China. In January 2019, BBOXX was announced as the winner of the Zayed Sustainability Prize in the Energy category – testament to the way the company is making a meaningful difference to people’s lives around the world. You can find further information about BBOXX on its website at – https://www.bboxx.co.uk/

About Mitsubishi Corporation

Mitsubishi Corporation is a global integrated business enterprise that develops and operates business across virtually every industry including industrial finance, energy, metals, machinery, chemicals, foods, and environmental business.

Mitsubishi Corporation has built a network to drive its next phase of major growth by constantly enhancing its ability to respond to change in tandem with fostering collaboration through the efficient and effective roles among Mitsubishi Corporation offices and subsidiaries, group companies and the head office.

Mitsubishi Corporation has a network of 171 overseas operations comprising 98 offices, 40 subsidiaries headquarters, and 33 branches all over the world to drive its next phase of major growth by constantly enhancing its ability to respond to change.

About DOEN Participaties

DOEN Participations (DOEN Ventures) has the ambition to make the world greener and more social. That is why impact is central to all investments. Over the past 25 years DOEN Participaties has become the largest impact investor in sustainable and social start-ups in the Netherlands. DOEN Participations invests in the early phase of companies and dares to take risks. DOEN Participaties is fully owned and managed by DOEN Foundation. The DOEN Foundation was set up by the Dutch Charity Lotteries. For more information www.doenparticipaties.nl

For more information please contact:

BBOXX Press Office

Kia McLean / Malini Parkash / Amy Boekstein

Instinctif Partners

Email: bboxx@instinctif.com

Phone: +44 (0) 207 457 2845 / +44 (0) 207 457 2064

Tools supporting foreign customer service in e-shops

A customer shopping from abroad is a subject we could discuss for hours. We are talking about a different profile of a customer applicable to e-commerce companies, when compared to entities providing business services. In practice, this means that we are dealing with different circumstances where transactions are completed. The variety of industries and market segments is the reason why the offer of companies providing products for online business includes many online tools for supporting foreign customer service.

Foreign customer service in an e-shop

Commerce on the internet is one of the fastest developing online industries in Poland. A report prepared by Interaktywnie.com (sponsored by Business Insider) shows that only in 2018, the value of this market reached the level of PLN 40 billion and it has been increasing dynamically since. The proof is visible everywhere. According to data of Bisnode Poland, the number of e-shops in this country in 2013 was 21,744, while in 2018 this number was 30,936. The increase covers nearly 10 thousand entities within only 6 years. Foreign customers buy in Polish shops more often and if you want them to return and make a purchase again, it is worth choosing online tools that will support services provided to such customers.

Online tools that will help you grown your e-shop

Several areas can be listed where the proper functioning is key for the e-commerce industry. From the point of view of customer service, the following aspects should be noted:

1.      Remarketing and reaching customers, who have already bought your product with an offer.

2.      Customer communication.

3.      Complaint processes.

4.      Reliable information provided at each sales stage.

5.      Managing customer relations.

Encouraging another purchase at the e-shop

The internet is a space where every user is attacked with thousands of stimuli at one second. For this reason, many of your customers who have already made a purchase at your shop, quickly forget about it. This happens even if you ensure an efficient and problem-free transaction process. This is why effective and well-configured remarketing activities are becoming more important. Simply put: it involves taking advantage of the fact that a given consumer has already been interested in your offer once. This will make it possible to take actions, which will speed up the process of reaching such a consumer with your offer. Internet tools supporting this type of foreign customer service include, in particular:

1.      Google Analytics with properly-defined goals.

2.      Google Ads integrated with Google Analytics.

3.      Facebook with its advertisement platform.

What will you gain thanks to such tools?

When looking at benefits obtained through remarketing, one key aspect should be mentioned. It is not a secret that when you use the internet while logged into your Google account, the algorithms monitor your behaviour on an on-going basis. In times of Android-based smartphones being so popular, practically everyone needs a Google account to properly configure their device. It would be a good idea if you learnt this knowledge and used it to target your offer to a certain group of recipients.

Due to the above proper setting of goals in Google Analytics as well as conversion in Google Ads is required for remarketing. Similar benefits can be obtained from installing Facebook Pixel on your site. Using such features will make it possible for you to determine precisely the parameters in advertisement campaigns, targeting them to recipient groups taking into account their location, age, gender, interests and even the latest searches. The possibility of choosing users who have already visited your shop but not made a purchase is a valuable feature. With such knowledge, you can offer attractive discounts for their first purchase, which will make them visit your shop again, and thus contributing to increased sales.

How to improve customer communication in an e-shop?

Today, consumers like to be spoilt. Due to the above, it is worth remembering that ensuring basic communication between the customer and seller is the absolute minimum when it comes to increasing sales. It is also important to note that when you decide to reach international markets with your offer, your website in a foreign language or personnel speaking that language will no longer be enough. Methods of quick exchange of messages, preferably within a given e-shop are becoming more important. Here, we can generally list two online tools that will make it easier to respond to queries of potential customers quicker:

1.      Messenger-integrated communicators – they make it possible for messages sent by the customer to reach the inbox of your company.

2.      Online chat with a consultant.

What benefits will you obtain?

Improvement, and most of all, speeding up communication with customers will increase your chances for selling. Imagine that you write an email to an e-shop and you receive a response after several days. You will most likely not shop there and find a different offer, even if it’s more expensive. Your potential customer will act similarly. Don’t make them wait. It’s best if you responded to their message within a few minutes. This way you will increase the probability of finalising the transaction even if your products are more expensive than at a competitive shop.

Automation of complaint processes

If your online shop handles multiple transactions within a day, complaint process automation can be key to you. Especially that according to the Polish law, you have 14 days to process such a complaint. Also remember to ensure enough time to notify your customer about the complaint decision. When you choose software for automation of such processes it is worth paying specific attention to the following features:

1.      Managing multiple channels of communication.

2.      Possibility of adding service scenarios.

3.      Macro configuration option.

4.      Automation of customer notifications.

5.      Indicating and queueing tasks for your employees. Due to the above, more difficult issues will not be “pushed” by them for later dates.

6.      The “Light Agent” feature – it makes it possible to involve people who are not directly involved in customer service, to handle the complaint (an evaluation expert, IT specialist, technician, etc.).

7.      Setting different language versions of notifications, alerts and messages.

Aftersales services also contribute to building your shop’s brand

Building a brand does not only mean creating the desired image but also all activities that you perform, as a brand. Fast and efficient complaint process is an element that may make your company stand out among competition. Processing complaints causes problems in many cases. When you simplify this process, you will avoid legal consequences and satisfy your unhappy customer, which will make them buy again. This way, you can show them that a given situation is just an incident and that you ensure proper quality of your offer.

Managing customer relations at an e-shop

The more information about customers you obtain, the easier it will be to manage relationships with them. For this purpose, try a CRM (Customer Relationship Management) tool. It will make it possible to collect the required information and properly segment it to facilitate its analysis. Currently, such systems have significantly evolved and their functionality makes it possible to support the entire sales cycle virtually at all stages. The following features are some of the more important ones:

1.      Identifying problems with sales, defining strong and weak sales strategies and identifying the best methods and sales channels for their further development.

2.      Supporting mailing campaign automation.

3.      Collecting information from customers in order to improve the offer.

4.      Coordination of the sales and marketing departments.

5.      Retaining the key consumers through analysing their shopping decisions in e-shops.

What will knowledge about your customers give you?

Regardless of the industry you operate in, knowledge about your customers is the key to success. The scale of business is not important here. Even if you operate in a small region, it is also worth noting detailed information that will make it possible to adjust your communication to recipient groups and even particular customers. If a credit advisor calls you and asks you how your dog is feeling, would you feel special? Certainly.

The same principles of communication also applies to your customers. If you own a well-developed contact network, it is worth investing into a CRM system dedicated to the character of your business. Today’s IT solutions make it possible to store detailed information about customers and it is highly important in improving all sales processes. Using such software will make it possible to define which products are popular in certain recipient groups, how to improve your offer, how to talk to your key accounts and which sales channels are the most effective.

Online tools are the key to success of every e-shop

Proper choice of internet tools, which support foreign customer service are the key to success in e-commerce. The above tools apply to all customers but their proper configuration will have a significant impact on simplifying communication with international consumers. Skilful use of Google Ads and similar tools, will make it possible to reach particular markets with your offer, not only in terms of the location but also in terms of trends in search, interests or past purchases of potential customers. It is a good idea to utilise such solutions. Practice has shown that as many as 80% of customers can choose a different company if you neglect communication-related processes.

2019 by Michał Nielub

How to sell on Amazon, eBay, AliExpress and AliBaba

When you prepare for expansion onto foreign markets, you will face the choice whether to create your own online shop or use an available sales system. If you’re considering the second solution you will have four largest global platforms available to choose from: Amazon, eBay, AliExpress and AliBaba. Which platform should you choose and how to make your online sales through them?

How to sell online – brief information about sales platforms

Let’s start with a short characteristic of each of the four platforms. Amazon.com was established quite a long time ago, in 1994 in Seattle. The name itself refers to the Amazon River, which Jeff Bezos (Amazon founder) picked as the river presenting the scale of product flow in his online shop. Time has evidenced that he wasn’t wrong. Today, Amazon.com is the largest global online shop which generated over USD 118 billion in revenue, in 2018.

eBay’s history is slightly different. As compared to Amazon, the platform was initially assumed to be an auction site where users were had the possibility of completing a transaction based on the highest bid price. The service started its operations in 1995 and thanks to dynamic growth, it is currently the biggest platform of this type in the world. You can sell and buy in 37 countries, including Poland.

Chinese e-commerce platforms

AliExpress is an online sales system that offers products supplied primarily by Chinese manufacturers. The idea for this service was to offer local Chinese products on a global market. Currently, you cannot offer sales from Poland but most likely this will change and it’s just a matter of time. Especially because in 2019, AliExpress launched such a possibility to small and medium-sized companies from Italy, Russia, Spain and Turkey.

The situation is slightly different when looking at AliBaba. The company was established in 1999 and it is an equivalent of the Polish Allegro but it operates on a global scale. This is the key e-commerce platform in China and one of the largest platforms in the world. The above is evidenced by the value of this company, amounting to USD 486 billion. You can buy and sell products here, with access to manufacturers from all around the world.

How to sell on Amazon?

As we have already mentioned above, Amazon.com is the biggest online shop in the world. Its offer includes Amazon label products (such as the Amazon Kindle e-book reader). It is worth noting, however, that half of its sales is generated from products supplied by their partners, from entrepreneurs like you.

Types of accounts on Amazon

Each user has a choice of two accounts: standard and PRO. In the case of the first account, you will not need to pay any subscription fees. You will only pay commission from sales, which is usually approximately GBP 1.00 per item (but it depends on the category). This account has some limitations. You can only sell up to 33 items per month.

PRO account users will have significantly bigger possibilities. When you decide upon this solution, you will not face any quantity-related limitations. You will have to pay GBP 25.00 in monthly subscription, however. Amazon may not charge commission in the case of insignificant sales of single items. With a bigger turnover, commission will apply, which is usually between 10-15%.

Logistics on Amazon are a huge advantage

The possibility of reaching customers worldwide is not the only advantage of using Amazon. The logistic system is a huge convenience for sellers. When you decide to cooperate with Amazon, you will not have to worry about storing your products. Amazon features distribution centres. There are 5 such centres in Poland, with the 6th one being under construction.

How do Amazon distribution centres work?

Thanks to such a solution, you have the possibility of sending your products directly from an Amazon warehouse. From there, they will be shipped to your customers globally. The warehouse employees will also package and secure your shipments for a small fee. The cost of such a service depends on the size of the package but it is usually not more than EUR 5.00.

Besides benefits provided through logistics, when you decide to sell on Amazon, you won’t need to set up your own online shop. This way, you won’t need to worry about costs related to its management, server maintenance and other expenses. You are also benefiting from the recognised Amazon brand which is known globally.

Amazon sales tools

The commerce giant improves tools for sellers continuously. You have the possibility of setting special deals instantly as well as configuring price management automatically. Specifically the second option is worth your attention. After defining the appropriate principles, the system will reduce prices itself, when a cheaper competitor appears. Unfortunately, the additional options are mostly available to PRO account users.

How to start your adventure with the platform?

The first step after setting up an account is to make a decision: what do you actually want to sell on Amazon? A lot depends on the adopted business model but JungleScout is a tool that will be very useful. It will help you follow sales trends on Amazon as well as find new market niches. It offers numerous features that will help you optimise your business in this biggest online shop in the world.

Sales methods

You can also take a completely different approach to selling on Amazon. Generally, there are 5 methods that will help you acquire products:

1. Arbitrage transactions – in this method, you will use a price scanner that is connected to the transaction system. If you find a product that you think can be resold with a profit, you can scan the price and compare products that are already available on Amazon. If an analysis shows that you can make money on such a transaction, you can purchase products in a retail shop and sell them with profit online.
2. Wholesale – the most typical method that involves large quantities of products in order to apply a profit margin and sell them on Amazon to make money. This solution has some disadvantages – you have to be in possession of starting capital to make the purchases. Secondly, you may end up investing too much. If it turns out that you will not buy the right products to match market trends, you will not generate sales to cover your costs.
3. Selling under a private label – this method also applies in traditional commerce. It assumes that you will create your own brand, buy products, place your own labels and resell them. This makes it possible to create an image of a private label, which is a huge advantage. Due to the above, you can become independent of Amazon with time, and you can start selling in your own e-shop. However, you will not have a big impact on the quality of products offered – if the manufacturer releases a defective batch, you will be responsible for it in the eyes of customers.
4. Handicraft – uniqueness of the offer is a huge advantage. Especially when you sell your own projects. Before you start selling on Amazon, see how well other similar items are sold. This solution has a certain disadvantage: if interest in your offer is huge, you will have to act fast to manufacture a sufficient number of products.
5. Dropshipping – this method is becoming more and more popular. According to the assumptions of this method, you sell someone’s products under someone’s private label. You are only in charge of optimisation and promotion. You don’t need initial capital because according to this business model, sales is generated first and then the settlement is made with the manufacturer. The disadvantages of this solution is the fact that you have no impact on the quality of products as well as any other aspect such as logistics and shipping.

How to sell on eBay?

eBay offers slightly different selling possibilities. The differences include the fact that you will not depend on decisions made by a commerce giant. When you cooperate with Amazon, you have to be aware that this is an e-shop, which can change contractual conditions when they notice that it is more profitable for them to enrol in a certain niche. There’s no such risk on eBay.

How does eBay work?

The platform may be defined as something similar to the Polish Allegro, but eBay’s reach is European-wide. The principles of sales are similar: first, you have to register an account in the auction system, read the rules and post offers. Then, you can manage the offers to finalise transactions (if anyone makes a purchase). Let’s start with the basics

Setting up an eBay account.

You have to set up an account first. Before you do that, you have to register as a user and then your account has to be verified as a seller. You have several ways to verify your identity:

1. By telephone.
2. By mail.
3. By credit card.

You have to be aware of the fact that most transactions will be settled in Euro. The same rule applies to all costs that are generated due to sales. For this purpose, it is better to configure your credit card so that payments are made simply and conveniently. You can set automated payment of fees made directly from your account so that you won’t forget about them. Transactions with customers will be settled through PayPal, so you will need to set up and verify a PayPal seller’s account.

Sales on eBay

To start sales, first you have to learn about product limitations. The list of products that are banned from sales is quite long. It includes police products, fireworks, weapons, products for adults and many more. Find out more on the dedicated page. It is a good idea to analyse prices of active and ended bids. Due to the above, you can find out how to manage prices of your products.

If you have ever made sales on Allegro, you should not have any problems with further steps. You have to post your products and ensure that they are properly described. Use a catchy phrase and set the price (including shipping costs), etc. When a customer buys something from you and pays for it, you will be notified. Remember that products should be shipped after you get a confirmation of payment being made.

Selling goods abroad

eBay is an international service so you can sell to different countries. To start such transactions, be sure to translate your product descriptions. You can set shipping costs yourself, depending on your contract with a carrier company. Before you post an offer, learn about the sales limitations applicable in the country to which you are shipping your products. It may turn out that your items are banned in Austria, for instance, due to the applicable laws. Find out more on the eBay website, at this link.

How to sell on AliExpress?

As we have already mentioned above, AliExpress.com does not make it possible to sell from Poland at this point. Nevertheless, it is worth keeping in mind that the service is starting to become available to other markets. Already today, companies from Italy, Spain, Russia and Turkey can trade on AliExpress. This is why it’s most likely just a matter of time when Polish entrepreneurs will be given this possibility.

Selling on AliExpress – the basics

To start selling on this platform, you have to meet the following conditions:

1. You have to manage a business – to set up an e-shop profile, each user has to pass a verification process on AliExpress through the AliPay account.
2. Optionally, you can create a brand on the platform. You can choose an official shop brand, function as a franchise or a specialised shop. If you do not intend to create a brand on AliExpress, you can skip this step.
3. You have to pay an annual technical fee.

If you meet these conditions, you can move onto registering a seller’s account. First, go to https://sell.aliexpress.com/, and then click “Join AliExpress” in the top right corner. You will be redirected to a form that will make it possible to activate your account. This will take place as follows:

1. The registration itself involves three stages. First, you need to specify your email address, set a password and enter the verification code received in the email. During the second stage, you need to pick the region in which you will sell your products. You will also have to specify your company’s business details. The third step will be to confirm the data you have entered.
2. After registering the account, you will have to log into it. In the seller’s panel, first you will need to set the primary category. Then enter the list of products you want to sell and also register your trademark.
3. Before you start selling on AliExpress, you have to choose the payment method. You will be redirected to a dedicated page with detailed information about sales costs in particular categories. You will also be informed about the annual fee for AliExpress services.
4. After completing the above steps, you will be redirected to a website for managing the shop. If you have your own brand, you can verify it. 
5. The last step is to add products to the shop and personalise its appearance. AliExpress offers numerous possibilities in this regard so that you can make your offer stand out. When you finish this step you can activate your shop and start sales.

How to sell on AliBaba?

As compared to AliExpress.com, AliBaba.com was created with B2B in mind. You will find sellers from all over the world here, including from India, Taiwan, China, USA and Poland. When you decide to post your sales offers in this system, you have the possibility of reaching business partners operating on global markets. How to sell on AliBaba?

Sell in wholesale amounts

The first step is to register a seller’s account on AliBaba. You have three choices: free account, GoldSupplier Basic (USD 699 per year) and GoldSupplier Standard (USD 2999 per year). When you use one of the premium options, your company will be verified by independent external experts. When you decide to choose the free account, you have no possibility of becoming a verified user.

After registering the account, you will be redirected to a virtual advisor. It will help you to configure your seller’s account in a few simple steps. First, you will have to define the type of your business, you will have several options to choose from: online shop, manufacturer, commercial company, wholesaler, distributor, sales office, individual seller or another type of activity that you will manage on AliBaba. Then, you have to choose the category of offered products. You will also determine what products you have in your offer.

The virtual advisor will guide you through other personalisation options as well. You will have to answer questions where you will specify your requirements regarding suppliers, the annual expenditure for shopping, etc. Due to the above, the AliBaba algorithm will be able to understand your business better, which will make it easier to use the portal.

Posting products and making sales effectively

Posting offers on AliBaba.com is very similar to Allegro or eBay. You will need to upload high-quality photos, prepare a detailed description of a product and create a catchy title. After posting your product, you will receive a text message with a verification code. All you need to do now is to benefit from the methods for making sales effective.

It is not a secret that shoppers buy with their eyes. So in order to improve your sales results good quality photos will help you as they present all the details of your products. If possible, include the product specification in the title, which is a frequent practice. A good description with details will also be key in the customer’s decision on choosing your offer. It is certainly worth being a verified seller. In order to do that, you have to switch to a premium plan and use the “Verified member” option.

Why is it worth getting your account verified?

Similarly to other sales services, you can come across fraud on AliBaba.com. Despite the fact that it is very difficult to sport fraud-related activity, it is possible. You should specifically pay attention to messages written badly in terms of the language or offers of making prepayments before shipping. There are cases where such a seller disappears with the money you paid and you won’t ever receive the purchased product. If you verified your business, you will let your customers feel safe and will prove it to them that you will not disappear after the transaction is completed. This will increase their willingness to cooperate with you.

Translation of product descriptions is the foundation for market expansion

Regardless of the platform you use, the key aspect of your presence on foreign markets is proper translation of product descriptions. You should ensure stylistic and content-related correctness but also adjust the language to the standards of your recipients. Your international customers live in different conditions than you do so they may have a different approach to shopping. This is why the work of a translator in this industry has a highly-creative nature, as the task of a person working on translation will be to adjust the advertisement slogans to the culture of the recipients’ country.

How to sell on the internet? It easier than ever before!

Availability and functionality of the biggest sales systems make selling online significantly easier. Especially when you want to acquire customers from international markets. Thanks to Amazon, AliExpress, eBay or AliBaba, expansion onto foreign market has never been this easy. If you don’t want to or have no funds to invest into your own shop, it is worthwhile to consider using one of the above options.

2019 by Michał Nielub

Finland's presidency of the Council of the EU: 1 July - 31 December 2019

"Sustainable Europe - Sustainable Future". 

The presidency programme focuses on four main priorities: 

• strengthen common values and the rule of law
• make the EU more competitive and socially inclusive
• strengthen the EU's position as a global leader in climate action
• protect the security of citizens comprehensively

Finland will be the first presidency to integrate the new priorities of the Strategic Agenda 2019-2024 into the Council's work.

https://eu2019.fi/en/frontpage