International eCommerce: what it is like to sell online in the United Kingdom

We usually think that electronic commerce is a global phenomenon, which is undoubtedly true. But that does not mean that each country does not maintain its own commercial idiosyncrasy or that everything works exactly the same everywhere.

This post starts a series of contents about how to sell internationally, but just as local businesses do. So that you know how to face each market, which resources are most important or what each target audience values.

I recommend this post even if expanding to the United Kingdom is not in your immediate plans, because it may light a bulb of inspiration with something that you can apply in your country or, directly, that it may push you enough to sell online in England or in any other place in the British Isles.

So, prepare a cup of tea, and read this article calmly.

When we think about British online stores, for example, the first thing that comes to mind is Asos, right? But the truth is that, although it is a magnificent case study, it has quite an international character. It could be from England or from any other part of the globalized world in which we live.

This has unquestionable advantages when scaling a business, but it loses a bit of the pulse of the local market and makes other brands with infinitely lower budgets and resources, put up a fight from that same locality.

Consumers increasingly value proximity, whether due to a cultural issue or an ethical position that seeks to minimize the ecological impact of their decisions. This is not a minor matter, since it has become a deciding factor that supports, accelerates or even decides the conversion.

But this is still a global variable, even though it affects markets locally. Let’s get straight to those particularities specific to the United Kingdom.

The Anglo-Saxons are true branding geniuses. If you stop to think about it, many of their brands are considered icons and have legions of loyal buyers, recurring up to the blurred limit between fanaticism and collecting.

We are talking about classic brands such as Burberry, Rolls-Royce, Jaguar… but also modern ones that exemplify the most advanced technology such as Dyson. All of them have personality.

While in Asia what matters is the product, the catalogue and the functionality it provides, the British prefer to surround those products with a special aura, a style of their own that is highly valued by both national and international buyers.

I could give you a thousand examples, but I do not want to go for the typical ones, so I bring you the fashion store Damsom Madder, which was founded in 2020, so it is not one of those that already dressed the Beatles.

The store itself almost seems more like a magazine than an eCommerce. They take extreme care of the image they want to project. But they put this at the service of a sustainable and local business model. Their most repeated slogan is: “Designed in London, made to last”.

They turn their origin into an intangible part of the brand and a sales argument. This leads me to briefly mention one of those brands I have a personal soft spot for: Fred Perry.

If you enter their eCommerce, you will see how, in the main menu itself, they have a link to the community section. Here they claim their role as defenders of the same values since their foundation: English music (they have a collection in collaboration with the Amy Winhouse foundation, for example), subculture and tennis.

Do they sell polos that are too expensive? Yes, but they are also selling something deeper: belonging. That is what makes their clothing 30% more expensive than that of many competitors, and even so it continues to succeed.

Another aspect that is especially worked on in the United Kingdom is the selection of the eCommerce catalogue. The objective is not so much to have something for everyone, what I call the neighbourhood bazaar logic, but rather a more boutique model.

And be careful, because by boutique I do not necessarily mean something exclusive and expensive, I mean special care in what is sold, in looking for what the competition does not have. This generates a current of empathy with the seller, because the customer feels that they are not simply “filling the shelves”, they have taken their time to search, compare and choose.

We continue with references that go beyond the most usual ones, in this case I am going to talk to you about a small Marketplace, also in fashion, that has a very interesting policy.

Its name is Wolf & Badger. Every single one of the brands that sell their products through this platform comply with a series of requirements related to sustainability and ethics. We see this directly in their product sheets, in a very prominent way and under the brand verification seal.

It also catches my attention that from the homepage itself, we can filter by “the editor’s selection”, here you can see to what extent they exercise that professional advisory work.

This may catch your attention, but although it is true that the British are reputed to be serious, the truth is that their communication has always stood out for being irreverent.

It may be a matter of differentiation, but culturally they seek transgression as a way of impacting the buyer. The relaxed tone does not necessarily imply an emotional approach, but it does establish different limits from those of face-to-face conversation, which is usually more restrained.

I am going to move away from fashion cases, radically in fact, to enter the pet segment. Specifically, organic dog food, which is what they sell at Butternut Box (in a subscription box model).

They could become solemn and speak in a technical nutritional way, or, at the other extreme, opt for a more emotional approach. But no, they have sought a light, fun tone that helps the message flow more smoothly.

Because one thing is tone, and another is content. If you look at their product sheets, although the recipe names are almost comical, they take very seriously the benefits that fresh food has for pets. They talk about proteins, vegetables or minerals, but they also prominently tell you if a product is recommended for certain diseases, ailments, conditions or age ranges.

Everything breathes “good vibes” in the Butternut Box online store.