Cracking the US. Is it all its cracked up to be?

I was asked by somebody that I interviewed recently, what things in my career have I been proud of and what have I achieved that others have failed with.

This is a tricky one, as I am not really the type of person to go hype myself or sell my experience. On reflection, I do think that there is something.

The thing that I think helps me to stand out is my success of taking British based businesses and making them work over the pond in the US.? Whilst its not a unique thing to have done nowadays, it it still a conundrum that many struggled with, just ask Tesco. Although, it is more common to see businesses crack the states now, after all the world has less boundaries due to digital trade, but its still not a well trodden path.

Obviously a lot of what I have done is more from a marketing and commercial perspective, but my involvement has also gone beyond that.? To crack the US, you have to have more than just a clever marketing idea the operations need to work behind the scene otherwise you fail the customer and in the US more than anywhere, good customer service is key.

I am not proposing that I know all the answers, but I have been in businesses such as boohoo, boohooMAN, prettylittlething, SimplyBe and bulk where we have been successful to varying degrees in the states.? I have also advised brands like missguided, Protein World, Ann Summers and New Look on how to make the US work and in some cases, told businesses they aren’t ready yet.? So I have some experience to fall back on.? So indulge me for a while if you are interested, it not, feel free to move on.

Is your business right for international trade?

My first piece of advice is, to make sure your business is ready for international expansion. International expansion is hard, tough in fact and creates a lot of effort and focus, which can prove very distracting. The US along with the likes of China are particularly challenging.

The sentiment “Are you ready” goes well beyond simply finance, operations or the right product.? I firmly believe that you need to really know who you are, have your strong foundations at home to ensure your core still thrives whilst you expand your offer.? Don’t invest or expand to overseas territories if you aren’t thriving at home

Summary - make sure you are ready to expand to the USA

Know your customer

This isn’t specific to the US, but make sure you know your customer. Do as much research as you can. Speak to as many people as you can. Learn as much as you can about the customer, their interests and what makes them tick.? One of the most effective parts of the launches that I have been involved with is, go there, spend time where your customer hangs out. Engage with them and do what they do.? That way you can learn the more nuanced details about them and their behaviours.? If that isn’t possible, try to get feet on the ground and learn from them. Its not always easy if you aren’t there, but not impossible.

Summary - Know your customer and live the life

The US is pretty big

The next point is obvious, but often forgotten.? The USA is VERY big. With a population of over 300m its five times the size of the UK.? Combining just two states California and Texas, they have a higher population than the United Kingdom.? Then the sheer size of the country, 3.8 million square miles, slightly smaller than Europe, shows huge differences in the geography.? Why am I even mentioning this obvious fact?? Well simply because, you can’t think of the US as one country.? Its sheer size, means obvious things such as climate is different in different states.? The cultures are different in different states and even to some degree, language and beliefs are different in different states

Summary - Don’t look at the US as one country when planning a launch

Localisation is key

When understanding your customer. Understanding the regional aspects of the US, a lot of what you do will undoubtedly be digital, so content is key.? Whilst this point is not specific to the US, its as important at home, depending on your business and its sector the US may be a bit ahead in terms of thinking.

The biggest mistake a lot of British businesses make is just to replicated what they do at home and do it there. Or they think those crazy Americans love anything British so just go crazy on that.? Well sometimes that does work, but don’t count on it.? Know what’s trending, do that market research and produce, share and be aware of content that resonates with your specific customer in the US

With this comes great opportunity. With the advanced targeting that digital media affords you, the content and messaging can be ultra tailored and really fell local to the audience

Summary - Content is king, but make it localised and relevant

Satisfy the customer for them to market you

Satisfying customers is crucial to success in the US. The days of customers being forgiving because a brand isn’t local are dwindling. You really need to have something special for that to carry any weight in todays global economy.

So consider your supply chain and distribution channels carefully. Going back to country size, if you are planning to do business nationwide, your main hub and then spoke hubs need to be strategically placed to maximise efficiency and speed to customer.

Partnering with local distributors or becoming close with the local operates of more international businesses will really help.? At boohoo we set up a strategic partnership with a local distributor in the US. They were an amazing support on returns and speedy delivery

Your customer service team are as important.? They need to be well trained, know the product and know your processes inside out. Give them the autonomy to make certain decisions, knowing customer satisfaction, particularly in the US creates positive word of mouth and an infectious customer experience creates positivity. You could create a tribe that do a lot of the marketing for you.

Summary - Invest in your customer as they are a key growth trigger

Feedback is the greatest gift

Knowing how you are doing is critical, especially if you aren’t in the country. So be sure to establish a system for getting feedback. Feedback from everybody. Customers. Partners. Influencers. Basically anybody that touches your business that can be come a brand builder or detractor.? Whether that is via social, surveys, calls or any other means. Stay on top of it, encourage it and most importantly, listen and act on it.

Doing so will help you refine your offer, help you remove issues before they become big and foster a sense of community around your brand.

Summary - feedback is key, but act on it

So the above were just a few nuggets from y experience. If anybody is looking to expand to the US, let me know. Its a passion of mine and would happily get involved in ay exciting projects.

I would also love to hear your views and experiences as well, even if you want to tell me that I am wrong, lets chat

#InternationalExpansion #BusinessStrategy #USMarket #BritishBusiness