Laurence Guy, CEO and founder of Pentagon who host Retail Without Borders kicked off today’s conference talking about how it’s easier than ever to start selling on marketplaces around the world.
Recent events such as the US raising the de minimus threshold to $800 means selling to the US is easier than ever, but countries like Mexico, the Middle East, India and the Far East are all seeing fast growing ecommerce. Mexico is predicted to become the fifth largest economy within a decade and, as Spanish speaking, should be a relatively easy country to launch in for anyone already serving Spain.
Pentagon can act as your merchant of record in Japan
In Japan ecommerce is predicted to be $122 billion with a conversion rate on mobile double that in the US. Japan has 77 million online buyers with high credit card penetration so Rakuten, although you need a local Japanese registered business to sell on, are a force which must be considered. Pentagon have set up their own entity in Japan so can act as the merchant of record for retailers looking to target this country.
Pentagon to open Middle East Office
To assist retailers to target the lucrative Middle East market, Pentagon will be opening an office in May this year.
Pentagon now have an office in Thailand
Laurence himself has moved to Bangkok and set up a physical office in Thailand to support retailers in the Far East. Having physical offices around the world is a huge investment by Pentagon and shows their commitment to assisting retailers attack new and emerging marketplaces around the world.
Grow internationally with Pentagon
If there is one thing that’s becoming increasingly obvious, it’s that whilst in the UK eBay and Amazon may be the market leaders, in the rest of the world and especially outside Europe, other marketplace have established themselves as the de facto option for consumers.
Even if you’re not currently a Pentagon client, if you have aspirations to grow globally, speak to them about how they could assist you. Those attending Retail Without Borders today can speak directly to many of the marketplaces Pentagon work with, but if you couldn’t make the event and want to launch your brand in new territories, Pentagon have the experience, knowledge and local offices to help you successfully launch and accelerate your sales around the world.
