Most important requirements of your website if you want to get a larger number of customers

Many companies wonder how they can increase the number of orders. Most of them underestimate the influence of websites in our digital times. It is also a cost-effective alternative to traditional marketing measures such as trade exhibitions and advertising.

The most important requirements of a website in order to get more customers are:

1.     Keep your website simple (text content and website structure)! Because your target audience
       wants to find the information they are looking for as quickly as possible.

2.     Focus on the benefits for your target audience! This means don’t write too much about
       yourself.

3.     Don’t make spelling or grammar error! People will equate these with bad service quality.

4.     Use the language of the country where your target audience live (for example German if
        your target audience lives in Austria, Germany or the German part of Switzerland)!

5.     Write a customer- and shareholder- oriented company profile, which includes production
        location, production process, selling location(s), company structure, most important figures
        (e.g. annual sales, listing prices, annual turnover) and contact people

6.     Make sure your website is mobile- and desktop friendly!

7.     Register your company name and business idea including products and services as a
        trademark or patent because this is your capital which has to be protected against copying!

8.    Select and add links to your social media profiles.

9.     Update your website regularly to avoid irritated and disappointed customers!

If you would like to get further information about how you can optimize or create your website please get in touch with Andrea Schmidt, Director of Planning & Realisation at step@stepintonewmarkets.com or call 07741090845.

Christmas time and growing SME businesses in 2018

December is the most stressful time for our SME’s business in the furniture and interior design sectors. We want to complete outstanding orders with customers and finish projects with business partners as much as possible by the end of this year. However, should we also use this time and the New Year to consider if we are happy with our sales in the UK? Have we ever considered expanding into Germany because there is a high purchase power in the furniture and interior sectors? Have your German sales figures been unsatisfactory this year? We also know that doing business in foreign markets could be a challenge because of the Brexit situation, operating in another language, diverse business cultures and lacking a network in the new market. There is a simple, efficient solution: working together with a German expert who guides you through this process and makes your company successful in Germany. If this is an interesting area for you and you are interested in further information , please feel free to book a cost free initial consultation with Andrea, our director of Planning & Realisation, on step@stepintonewmarkets.com or call on +44(0)7741090845. 

Dusseldorf: The perfect location for starting business in Germany

Most of us think first about Berlin when considering doing business in Germany. Our experience at Step Into New Markets is that Dusseldorf is a perfect alternative with many benefits, especially for British furniture and interior design companies who are just starting doing business in Germany.

Dusseldorf has excellent connections to the Ruhr area including Essen and Bochum, as well as the Rhine area including Cologne and Bonn (called the “Rheinschiene”). Big important international furniture and interior design exhibitions (e.g. ORGATEC Cologne, IMM) take place in this area. Dusseldorf has a large number of high earners who invest in high quality furniture and beautifully designed interior for their homes. A large number of international companies have their headquarters there, for example Henkel, Volkswagen, Vodafone Germany and Eurowings, which means a high demand for furniture and interior design products (including lamps, tiles and flooring). Dusseldorf is famous as a leading fashion, media and advertising city. Many tourists, including from the Netherlands, come to the city to buy products on the luxury shopping street “Königsallee” (also called “Kö”), The “Medienhafen” is the new hub for many start-ups and international companies.

If you want to get further information about your company’s opportunity in Dusseldorf please book a cost free initial consultation with Andrea, our director of Planning & Realisation, on step@stepintonewmarkets.com or call on +44(0)7741090845. Further information is also available on our website, https://www.stepintonewmarkets.com.

Collaboration partner: an excellent market entrance strategy

Collaborating with well-established furniture or interior design companies is an excellent strategy to enter the German-speaking (Austria, Germany, Switzerland) or the UK markets. This strategy has many benefits, especially for small and media size companies who want to enter a completely new geographical market, or want to improve their success in a new market. The first benefit is that your furniture or interior design company would have less paperwork, when you share a showroom or office with a business partner. Secondly, you would save money in terms of sharing the cost of rent and the sales team. Thirdly, you would learn a lot about the new market from your well-established collaboration partner, which would help to avoid major mistakes and save time and money.

Finding a collaboration partner in a new market can be tricky because of operating in another language, diverse business cultures and lacking a network in the new market. If you are not sure how to start finding a suitable collaboration partner and doing business in these markets, please do not hesitate to book a cost free first initial consultation on step@stepintonewmarkets.com or call us on +44(0)7741090845. Further information is also available on our website, https://www.stepintonewmarkets.com.