Consider an internet or e-commerce company that sells exclusively in the US but wants to expand globally. What kind of strategy would you recommend for their initial expansion? What are some of the factors they should consider in pursuing this expansion?

(a) Strategy recommended for initial expansion

Target Markets

Market Entry

(b) Factors to consider when pursuing the expansion strategy

Brand Recognition

Cultural Understanding

Explanation:

There are two parts of this question. Therefore, they are written in details below as points (a) and (b)

(a) Strategy recommended for initial expansion

Target Markets

In order to proceed with any idea/plan at a strategic level, one must consider doing their homework. This means to understand the international customers, what do they buy, at what price is the goods preferred, which methods of shopping best suits them and so on.

Market Entry

Planning on how to enter the market is an important strategy in the plan for initial expansion. This could be achieved by acquiring another business and/or selling unique product/service.

(b) Factors to consider when pursuing the expansion strategy

Brand Recognition

One must question whether your brand is recognized in the market or not and at what level is it recognized. Awareness of brand existence have increased significantly with the help of social media. However, the same could be said about the number of brands available in the market for a single good/service. Therefore, research must be conducted before expanding into new territories.

Cultural Understanding

Culture is different in each country and based on which different market strategies needs to be implemented for each country. Let's say you approach a country where language of the country is not known to your existing employees. Therefore, you may need to train them first before working in the country and this could amount to a significant cost. It's best  to start expansion in those countries where you have better cultural understanding.