Globalization has hit every sector and ecommerce is no exception. Ecommerce businesses are no longer confined to local marketplaces. They are exploring and thriving on a global level. But what made this all so easy for them? Amazon MCF (Multi Channel Fulfillment) is the answer. If you too are an ecommerce seller looking to grow internationally, global selling should be your call-to-action. Amazon MCF enables you to leverage the vast fulfillment network of Amazon and ship products worldwide, streamline logistics, and scale your business globally. So, let us gain valuable insights into global selling with Amazon MCF and how it will help you soar to new business heights.
Why Do You Need to Opt for Global Selling?
Before delving into the knitty and gritty details of Amazon global selling, let us first get an idea on why exactly you need to go global. Here are the things that you are missing out if you have not yet decided to sell globally!
- Huge Customer Base: When you decide to sell globally, you open doors to a whole world of new buyers. You are no longer limited or restricted to your domestic market. All you need is a good internet connection- no borders & no limits. New buyers means new sources of business sales and enhanced business reputation. You may miss out on this golden opportunity if you continue to sell in a specific area or location. Global selling helps you break barriers and achieve such new heights of success.
- Go Global: As the name suggests, global selling creates more exposure for your brand. Adopting a global selling strategy enables you not just grow within a certain area but diversify your reach. This helps you minimize impact of sales fluctuations by taking advantage of peak seasons globally & be less dependent on a particular sales season.
- Better Price for Your Products: Global selling lets you sell abroad at better prices. This is especially true if your products are unique or in high demand. You need to conduct research to analyse the prices in international markets. However, selling globally can definitely be profitable if you get a good price for your products.
- Less Dependence on Domestic Market: Selling within domestic markets limits your overall business growth. You become more dependent on a particular market and get affected by the economic downturns. Diversifying your reach safeguards your business through tough times in your domestic areas and helps you grow.
Amazon MCF: What is it?
Similar to other Amazon services, Amazon MCF opens doors for ecommerce sellers to fulfill orders not just on Amazon but across various channels, including eBay, Shopify, Etsy and many more. This implies you can manage your inventory in Amazon’s global warehouses, and it will take care of order fulfillment placed on any sales channel. It is a third party logistics solution that enables not just Amazon but also non-Amazon sellers to leverage Amazon’s huge network. Furthermore, Amazon global selling allows you to access over 2,000 facilities which includes over 200 fulfillment centers on a global level.
How Amazon MCF Supports Ecommerce Sellers in Global Selling?
- Simplified International Logistics: One of the major challenges encountered in global selling is managing logistics across borders. Amazon’s massive network of fulfillment centers worldwide eases this process. It allows ecommerce sellers to store their products closer to international buyers. As a result, minimizing shipping times & costs, ensuring quick delivery and a smooth customer experience for global customers.
- Affordable Global Fulfillment: Choosing to sell globally can lead to costly shipping. However, Amazon MCF provides sellers cost-effective rates that can help save money. By keeping your inventory in Amazon's international fulfillment centers, you get to leverage Amazon’s bulk shipping discounts. This makes your global fulfillment more affordable, especially when you are scaling your ecommerce business.
- More Reach & Visibility: When you utilize MCF for Amazon global selling your products automatically become visible and available to Amazon’s large customer base worldwide. This helps increase your overall visibility on a global level. Hence, you can experience a boost in sales, as buyers trust Amazon’s fulfillment services for reliable shipping and delivery.
- Smooth Integration with Sales Channels: Amazon MCF is built to be multi-channel, implying you can use it for more than just Amazon orders. You can fulfill orders via your Shopify store, eBay, or any other platform, while still taking advantage of Amazon's global fulfillment network. This is absolutely perfect for ecommerce businesses willing to expand across multiple sales channels without switching between multiple ecommerce platforms.
- Scalability for Expanding Businesses: Whether you are a newbie just beginning your ecommerce journey or a renowned name. Amazon MCF makes it quick and simple to scale. The flexibility of Amazon’s fulfillment network enables you to add new products, grab new global markets, and accelerate your inventory without the intricacies of managing logistics by yourself. As demand expands, Amazon MCF can grow with you, supporting your ecommerce business every step of the way.
How Does Amazon MCF Work?
- Storing Inventory: Amazon MCF enables ecommerce sellers to store their products at certain Amazon fulfillment centers. This helps get rid away of the need for them to keep up their warehouse management infrastructure.
- Fulfillment of Orders: All the order details are electronically transferred to Amazon MCF when a buyer places an order via your website, social media accounts, or any other non-Amazon channel.
- Picking & Packing: Amazon's advanced fulfillment technology takes control. The fulfillment network selects & packs the ordered items from your inventory that are kept in their centers in an effective manner.
- Tracking & Shipping: To guarantee prompt & dependable order delivery to the buyer, MCF utilizes Amazon's vast logistics network. Additionally offered is real-time tracking data, which elevates consumer awareness and confidence.
Key Challenges in Global Selling
Adopting global selling surely brings in new opportunities but presents numerous challenges. This can make your ecommerce journey a bit complicated. Here are some of the key difficulties that you need to be aware of:
- Cultural & Language Barriers: When reaching out to sell globally, language barriers pose an immediate challenge. Product descriptions, marketing materials, and customer support need to be accurately translated to make sure transparent communication with global buyers. Furthermore, cultural differences may influence how goods are perceived, how customers communicate with your brand, and even how goods must be marketed to encourage diverse consumer preferences.
- Shipping Delays and Logistics Concerns: International shipping could be quite unpredictable, from customs clearance to lengthened shipping times, often due to the complexities of supply chain disruptions not foreseen. Managing multiple shipping providers, tracking orders, and ensuring delivery across borders can be quite time-consuming. Therefore, logistics remain a major issue with global ecommerce sellers.
- Currency Conversion & Payment Processing: When selling to other countries, managing multiple currencies gets rather complicated. Price & margin fluctuations, as well as processing cross border payments in various currencies, is typically pricey. Moreover, getting your payment processing platform to work for buyers based in multiple countries requires integration with different local payment gateways, which is often a time and money-consuming pain.
- Knowing Local Market Needs: Every country has its own buyer behavior patterns, and what works in one market might not work in another. Ecommerce sellers must understand local buying preferences, seasonal trends, and competitive pricing to effectively cater to multiple regions. Without a deep understanding of the local market, they might risk offering products or marketing strategies that fail to resonate with global customers.
Amazon MCF with MapMyChannel: Key to Skyrocket Your Global Selling
Reaching out to global markets can indeed be rewarding but with an entirely different set of problems as well. However, solutions like MapMyChannel that can help in multi-channel order fulfillment can assist you in such scenarios. MapMyChannel is designed to help ecommerce businesses manage their global selling operations seamlessly. Here’s how it can be the perfect solution for your global selling strategy, especially when integrated with Amazon MCF:
- Effortless Multi-Channel Integration: Choosing MapMyChannel with Amazon MCF as your fulfillment partner allows you to expand globally. You can sell globally by integrating your ecommerce store with sales channels like Amazon, eBay, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, Walmart and more. You can manage your multi-channel order processing from a single dashboard. By utilizing Amazon MCF’s robust fulfillment network with MapMyChannel you can ship orders on a global level without complexities.
- Centralized Inventory Management: Inventory management across different countries can be overwhelming. However, MapMyChannel integration with Amazon MCF streamlines this process by providing centralized inventory management. This ensures that your products are stocked strategically at fulfillment centers. Furthermore, you can easily track your inventory levels across multiple sales channels and locations in real-time, eliminating stockouts.
- Streamlined Order Fulfillment: Keeping a check on order fulfillment can be complex especially when managing global orders. International shipping prices might vary significantly, and the logistics needs of nations may differ as well. MapMyChannel smoothens this process by integrating with Amazon MCF, ensuring efficient & reliable global fulfillment. This multichannel fulfillment integration guarantees that, regardless of your buyer's location, your purchases are sent to the appropriate fulfillment center for prompt delivery.
- Real-Time Analytics and Reporting: MapMyChannel advanced reporting tools provide vital information about inventory levels, consumer behavior, and sales performance. Connecting these valuable insights with Amazon MCF’s fulfillment capabilities enables you to take immediate action to enhance your global selling efforts. As a result, inviting well-informed judgments, swiftly spot patterns, and modify pricing tactics to maximize international sales.
Final Thoughts
Global selling is no longer a distant dream, it is an achievable reality thanks to Amazon MCF. Whether you're a newbie entrepreneur or an established business owner, global selling with Amazon MCF simplifies the complexities of global sales by handling shipping, fulfillment, and inventory on your behalf. However, as global selling brings in unique challenges integrating the right tools can make a difference. MapMyChannel is designed to streamline multi-channel integration, inventory management, and order fulfillment. This way, you can manage your global selling operations, gain real-time insights, and ensure timely delivery via a single platform.
So, are you ready to scale globally? The right tools and strategies are within reach—take the first step today and unlock your full potential in the world of global ecommerce.
