By Eva Zhang, Alipay (UK), CEO

As e-commerce has grown over the past few decades, so have cross-border payments and the systems which facilitate trade and payments internationally, as well as the marketing tools necessary to broaden businesses’ reach and access new customer bases. This is part of the reason you’re able to go online and ship products from across the world, straight to your front door. These systems are incredibly powerful tools for merchants and businesses aiming to expand their global presence and access new international markets.

E-commerce from Southeast Asian shoppers in particular is growing extremely fast; sales will total $89.67 billion in 2022, meaning the region’s 20.6% projected expansion this year will be the highest in the world. Mobile wallets also play an important role for this audience, given the young, increasingly digitally able and middle-class consumer profile that we are seeing. Research from Juniper and Boku shows that mobile wallet users in the region are expected to grow by 311% by 2025 to 440 million across Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam and Singapore. Combining these two elements with a region known to favour British brands, UK businesses have a colossal market with huge potential for new digital revenue streams to tap into. However, breaking into this market requires a deft and tactile approach.

Tailoring payments for local markets

Although reliable and secure payments technology is crucial, this alone won’t go the distance in winning the trust of consumers from a different region. Merchants and SMEs need to be able to provide shoppers with their preferred payment mechanisms – methods that are familiar and which are already trusted. Preference in payment method varies geographically, and you can’t expect a consumer base to feel comfortable with typing in their card details when they’ve been paying via QR codes and digital wallets for over a decade.

In this way, partnering with the right payments provider with the ability to offer payment methods that are tailored to the local region is key to unlocking customer loyalty. Merchants and brands need to be able to enter the market alongside recognisable, trusted and convenient names and payment methods if they are to succeed and gain momentum with Asian consumers.

Adapted marketing strategies

Similarly to payments, marketing tactics and strategies vary greatly with geography, and in order to successfully integrate into the Asian market, businesses will need to make offerings that the local consumer base favours and is comfortable with. For instance, consumers in Asia have a greater tendency to engage with promotions like discount codes and personalised ads than other regions, so the ability to tailor offerings to these preferences will be a key advantage in targeting this market.

What’s more, these marketing practices prove even more valuable as they provide the opportunity to analyse customer behaviour. Certain platforms allow businesses to analyse their customer profiles by mapping customers’ preferences through thousands of user tags which can define details such as shopping history, consumption behaviour and interests. This gives the merchant the ability to carry out more precisely targeted marketing campaigns specific to the local market.

Integrated digital offerings

On the side of the merchant, operating on a one-stop integration basis is also a sizeable advantage. This means that a single solution and the same QR code is used across all the of the merchant’s payment methods, both in-store and digitally, providing them with a streamlined offering that gives the same simple payment experience for the customer, no matter where they are. This simplifies the payments side of business operations and provides a more streamlined entry to market.

However, it remains important for merchants to partner with a provider that offers a locally tailored approach to integrated payments. Customers must be presented with omnichannel digital solutions, such as QR codes, with which they are familiar, otherwise businesses risk being rejected by their own consumer base.

Turbulent times

For merchants and SMEs to grow they need to look to expand into areas where the uptake of e-commerce is occurring most rapidly. This means branching out with cross-border payments to reach these markets from afar. What is more, as many areas of Europe enter an uncertain economic period, an expanded and digitally capable customer base could help to shore up revenue, enabling them to better weather the oncoming storm.

All in all, by leveraging platforms that unite both localised cross-border payments methods and marketing strategies, British businesses have the potential to expand into new territories, such as the lucrative East and Southeast Asian markets. Understanding and navigating local nuances and preferences will be key, so choosing a partner that supports you in overcoming these hurdles grants your business a stronger chance of establishing itself in this highly profitable region.