A shopper in Canada loves a product on your UK store. The price looks fine. But they have a string of questions before they will buy. Do you ship to Canada? How long will it take? Will they have to pay customs when it arrives, and how much? If it does not fit, can they send it back, and who pays?
International shipping questions are the main barrier between your store and overseas customers. The shopper wants the product, but the hidden costs and uncertainty make buying from abroad feel risky.
The questions overseas shoppers ask
International questions tend to follow a pattern:
- Do you ship to my country?
- How long does delivery take?
- How much is shipping?
- Will I pay customs duties or taxes on delivery?
- Can I return items from abroad, and who pays?
- What currency will I be charged in?
The customs question is the one that most often stops a sale. Shoppers have heard stories of surprise charges on delivery and do not want to be caught out.
Why these questions stop sales
International shoppers take more risk than domestic ones. Delivery takes longer, returns are harder and unexpected charges can appear at the door. Any uncertainty is a reason to buy from a local store instead.
That makes clear, fast answers especially valuable. As explained in shoppers who ask before buying are your best customers, people who ask questions are close to buying. With international shoppers, the question is often the last thing standing between them and the order.
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What a clear answer sounds like
Visitor: Do you ship to Canada? Will I pay customs? Assistant: Yes, we ship to Canada. Delivery takes 7 to 10 working days and costs $15. Import duties and taxes are not included, so you may be asked to pay them on delivery. Returns from Canada are accepted within 30 days, and the return postage is paid by you.
Every fact in that answer comes from the shipping and returns policy. It is honest about the costs, which builds more trust than vague reassurance.
Publishing international information clearly
Most international questions can be answered on a single page:
- Countries you ship to.
- Delivery times and costs by region.
- Who pays duties and taxes.
- How international returns work.
- Which currency you charge in.
Link to it from product pages and the basket. Then an assistant has clear material to answer from, and shoppers who prefer to read can find it themselves.
Answering in the shopper's language
Many international shoppers are more comfortable in their own language. SpideyChat for ecommerce stores replies in the language the visitor writes in, answering from your shipping and returns pages at any hour. That matters for overseas customers, who often browse while your team is asleep.
Gift orders from abroad
A lot of international orders are gifts sent to family in another country. Those shoppers ask about delivery dates, gift wrapping and hiding prices, as covered in gift buyers need different answers than everyday shoppers. International gift orders combine both sets of questions, so make sure both are answered.
The questions before buying
International shoppers are a clear example of the last-minute doubts described in the questions visitors ask right before they buy. The same principle applies to buyers in any market: know the questions, publish the answers and make them instant. The approach used by estate agents in scripts for the questions buyers ask every agent works for international shipping questions too.
Your next step
Look at where your visitors come from in your analytics, and which countries you already ship to. Make sure your international shipping page answers the six questions above. Then test how an assistant handles them, in English and another language, or see the features list for what else it handles.