How to Run an International eCommerce Store on Shopify

Subdomains are when one domain is split into different mini-websites where they’re a complete website with a small access area to the front of the website. For instance: subdomain.domain.com or country.example.com. Each subdomain acts like its own website and the main domain can be a landing page where you can direct customers to the right store.

Remember that you can also use Geolocation apps, like this one here, to help you redirect customers to the right subdomain.

This is a simple and effective method and has lower costs for your brand. However, you will have to be known by the brand name in every territory and this can cause some confusion. Some brands specifically change their name in certain territories to avoid confusion with brands already trading there or to avoid language confusion.

However, with subdomains, you can have region-specific promotions and market each website to specific audiences that can be much more effective.

Another option is to have new domains for each area you want to sell in. This can be very effective if there are concerns over your brand name in certain territories. Similar to what has been mentioned before, pants and trousers mean the same thing in different countries. There are also other words and products that can become confused. If you exclusively sell these, you should look at different domain names for these elements in different countries.

In addition, certain words might be offensive in some languages. For example, in German, ‘gift’ means poison, so few people in German-speaking areas will be looking that up.

One problem with lots of different websites is that it can be harder for you to manage. You might need to outsource some work to freelancers or build a team to help you.