Selling internationally with Shopify: How to set up a proper international store

Selling abroad with Shopify allows Israeli brands to expand their operations, reach new audiences, and manage an international store in an organized manner. To do this correctly, it is important to plan the target markets, language, currencies, shipping, payments, and user experience in advance. At WeDev, we see how with proper characterization and professional implementation, Shopify becomes a stable and strong infrastructure for growth in markets both locally and globally.

Why sell abroad specifically through Shopify?

 Shopify is a leading platform for managing e-commerce stores, thanks to its flexibility, stability, and user-friendly management interface. When selling abroad, the advantage is particularly prominent: you can manage a single store with adaptations for countries, languages, currencies, pricing, shipping, and payment methods. This allows Israeli brands to start selling in international markets in an organized manner, and to build an infrastructure that will enable further expansion.

The first step: business and technological characterization

The first step in every project we accompany at WeDev is a comprehensive characterization. Before delving into development, it's crucial for us to understand with you the purpose of international sales. Is it a brand already selling in Israel that wants to expand? Is it a new store designed from the outset for a global audience? Is there one main target market or several countries simultaneously? In the characterization phase, the main needs of the project are defined:

·        Which countries the store is intended for

·        In what languages will the site be displayed

·        In what currencies will customers pay

·        Which products are available in each market

·        What are the shipping options

·        How will the payment process look

·        Which external systems need to be connected

·        How will order management look after purchase

Proper characterization allows for the building of a Shopify store that not only looks good, but also functions correctly behind the scenes.

Choosing target markets before starting sales

When selling abroad, it's not advisable to open your store to the entire world immediately. It's important to choose target markets based on product demand, competition level, shipping costs, delivery times, taxation, and local purchasing habits. It's usually best to start with one or two countries, learn the market, and only then expand.

Adapting the User Experience for an International Audience

The user experience in an international store needs to feel natural to the customer. A customer from the United States, for example, expects to see prices in dollars, content in English, clear shipping times, and familiar payment methods. A customer from Europe may expect different information regarding taxation, returns, and delivery. Therefore, selling abroad using Shopify requires adjustments such as:

Language and content

Website translation is just the beginning. The content needs to sound natural, professional, and convincing in the target language. Product pages, purchase buttons, shipping policies, FAQs, and automated emails must be tailored to the local audience.

Currency and pricing

Displaying prices in the local currency enhances trust and facilitates decision-making. Alongside this, it's crucial to calculate prices profitably, considering clearing fees, currency conversion, shipping, returns, and taxes.

UX/UI Design

A store targeting international markets needs to be clear, fast, and user-friendly on any device. At WeDev, the UX/UI design process begins with understanding the audience, their needs, and their purchasing preferences in the target countries. Only then do we move on to the precise visual design of the interface..

Shopify Markets and International Market Management

Shopify Markets allows managing various adaptations by country and region. Using this tool, you can define different markets, set currencies, display relevant languages, manage international domains, and tailor the shopping experience to each audience.

For brands that want to sell in several countries, this is a particularly important tool. It allows for an organized start, without setting up a separate store for each country, while still providing a more tailored shopping experience for each market.

International Shipping: More Than Just Shipping Cost

Shipping is one of the most critical components of selling abroad. Even if the website is well-designed and the product is excellent, customers may abandon their purchase if the shipping cost is too high, the delivery time is unclear, or the return policy is vague. During the planning phase, it's important to define:

·        Which countries deliveries are made to

·        What shipping methods will be displayed at checkout

·        Whether standard, expedited, or free shipping will be offered above a certain amount

·        How is order tracking performed

·        What is the international return policy

·        How to handle shipments that didn't arrive or were returned

Proper shipping planning also affects customer experience and the business's profitability.

Tax, Customs, and Regulations

Selling abroad requires a preliminary check of customs, import taxes, local VAT, shipping declarations, and product classification. Each country may have different rules, and sometimes special approvals, standards, or labels are also required. Therefore, before opening a new market, it is important to check the relevant requirements with appropriate professionals.

Technical Development and Integrations

An international Shopify store often requires custom development beyond a ready-made template, such as connecting to ERP systems or CRM, shipping providers, inventory systems, customer clubs, and BI reports. Our development team at WeDev specializes in building an infrastructure that connects seamlessly to your full business operation - from orders and inventory to service, marketing, and invoicing .

Pre-launch checks

Before launching a Shopify store for international sales, a comprehensive round of tests must be performed. The tests should include not only the design, but also the entire process the customer goes through from entering the site to receiving order confirmation. Among other things, they check:

·        Website display on mobile and desktop

·        Switching between languages and currencies

·        Product and category pages

·        Add to cart

·        Checkout process

·        Payment methods

·        Shipping calculation

·        Automated emails

·        Loading speed

·        Form and link integrity

·        Adaptation to target countries

 SEO international for Shopify stores

For an international Shopify store to generate organic traffic, it's important to plan the SEO already at the setup stage. Beyond website translation, it's necessary to understand how customers in each country search for the product and adapt the site structure, content, URL addresses, meta tags, and hreflang accordingly. This allows for building a store that communicates effectively with both users and search engines.

Why it's important to work with a team that deeply understands Shopify in depth?

Selling abroad through Shopify requires a combination of business analysis, design, development, shipping, payments, SEO, and ongoing operations. Therefore, it's crucial to work with a team that understands the platform in depth and can view the complete picture.

WeDev, as the official and leading Shopify partner in Israel, is proud to accompany brands and businesses through processes of analysis, development, testing, launch, and continuous improvement, with transparent work and close monitoring of tasks, timelines, and the progress of your project.

Summary

Selling internationally through Shopify is an excellent opportunity for brands looking to expand into new markets, but to make it a profitable and stable activity, proper planning is required from the very first stages. Choosing target markets, adapting language and currency, planning shipping and payments, checking tax and regulatory aspects, technical development, and pre-launch testing – all these directly affect the store's success. With accurate characterization, professional development, and ongoing support, it is possible to build an international Shopify store that is tailored to the business's needs and the expectations of customers in each market. Do you want to set up a Shopify store ready for sale domestically and internationally? We at the WeDev team are here to guide you from the idea and characterization stage to successful launch – and long afterward.