Preparing for Cross-Border eCommerce Sales from the IT Perspective

Table of contents:

• Choosing a platform for cross-border eCommerce
• Updating the platform before international expansion
• Payment system integration
• Language localization and content management
• Store analytics setup
• Customer support
• Other aspects worth considering

In recent years, the Polish eCommerce market has been growing at an impressive pace, and success in the domestic market increasingly inspires businesses to consider cross-border sales. However, entering new markets involves more than just translating the offer into another language.

Although the temptation to start quickly may be strong, preparing your store for international sales is a complex process in which the IT infrastructure plays a significant role. Proper technological alignment can determine whether international expansion becomes a successful investment.

This article covers the key elements of preparing an online store from the IT side for cross-border eCommerce. We'll look at critical areas such as platform choice, handling multi-currency payments, content localization, and ensuring system performance.

The first step in planning international expansion should be to assess whether the current platform can support multiple markets. Key aspects include support for multiple languages, currencies, and scalability. Below is a comparison of the most popular solutions:

Platform	Advantages	Disadvantages
Shopify	No need for own hosting; extensive plugin ecosystem; support for multiple languages and currencies	Subscription and commission costs; limited backend customization; multilingual support requires configuration
Magento (Adobe Commerce)	Open-source platform for large projects; support for multiple stores and currencies; high scalability and customization	One-time higher implementation cost; infrastructure requirements; too much complexity for smaller companies
PrestaShop	Freemium model, open-source; support for multiple languages and currencies; easier to handle than Magento	Limited performance at large scale; advanced features are paid

The choice of platform should reflect both your development ambitions and operational needs.

If you already have an online store, it is essential to update it to the latest version before launching cross-border operations. Why? Many stores use older installations that may work well locally but are not ready for new technical requirements.

Not updating the system may significantly complicate the implementation of new integrations such as payment methods, logistics systems, or content management tools. In many cases, older versions require costly and time-consuming workarounds. That’s why it’s worth conducting a technical audit and planning any necessary system updates before going international.

Customers expect to pay in their own currency using familiar methods. Technical support for multi-currency and local payment methods is fundamental to a successful cross-border eCommerce strategy.

When selling internationally, it's crucial to support not only the euro but also local currencies like the British pound, Swedish krona, or Czech koruna.

Method	Target market	Description
Klarna	Scandinavia, Germany	Deferred payments
iDEAL	Netherlands	Online payments via bank account
Sofort (Klarna Sofort)	Germany, Austria, Switzerland	Instant bank transfer
Apple Pay / Google Pay	Europe	Mobile digital wallets
Bancontact	Belgium	Debit card payments linked to bank account
EPS	Austria	Bank payment system supported by local banks
Giropay	Germany	Online payments supported by German banks
Cartes Bancaires	France	National debit card payment system
Multibanco	Portugal	Payment and ATM withdrawal system, popular in e-commerce
Trustly	Sweden, Spain, Netherlands	Direct bank payments without registration
Paylib	France	Mobile alternative to card and PayPal payments
PostFinance	Switzerland	Popular online payment service offered by the Swiss Post
Paysera	Baltic countries	Digital wallet and bank transfer system
Twint	Switzerland	Mobile app for instant payments

If you don’t want to configure each payment separately, it’s worth using PSP providers (e.g. Stripe, Adyen). These solutions simplify the integration process and allow multiple payment methods to be handled within a single system. Integrations must also comply with the PSD2 directive and implement Strong Customer Authentication (SCA).

It's no surprise that users are more likely to make purchases when the offer is presented in their native language. Therefore, an eCommerce platform should support multiple language versions – this is now a standard, not a competitive advantage.

What becomes critical is how those language versions are managed. With large product catalogs and dynamic marketing content, solutions that ensure consistency, flexibility, and scalability are essential.

One recommended tool in this context is PIMcore – an open-source platform that supports the management of multilingual product and marketing content. Importantly, it addresses the needs of businesses operating in a cross-border model. PIMcore enables not only the storage and organization of translations but also comprehensive management of product information structure, digital assets, and web content – all within one integrated system.

Thanks to features such as content versioning, translation workflows, and the ability to automate publication across multiple sales channels, PIMcore significantly simplifies market expansion.

With multiple store versions, analytical tools must be properly configured. Special attention should be paid to Google Analytics (GA4), which allows tracking traffic by country and language. It's necessary to define conversion goals separately for each location and ensure data is collected correctly.

If Google Tag Manager is used to manage scripts, check that all tags trigger according to the cookie policy. In some cases, separate configurations may be required.

Marketing automation and personalization tools are equally important. If you're running email marketing, product recommendations, or pop-ups, ensure they work correctly in each language version.

Of course, this overview doesn’t exhaust the analytics topic. In every case, country-specific regulations must also be considered – especially those concerning privacy and cookie policies.

Although customer service goes beyond technical aspects, from an IT perspective it's worth including integrations that support multilingual service, such as:

• Ticketing systems – the contact form or chat should be integrated so that customer messages are routed to one system with the correct language tag. It's also worth implementing automatic translation options.
• Chatbots – many AI-based chatbots on the market can handle multiple languages, but they need to be properly configured and provided with the right data to ensure accurate answers. Setting them up is also a task for the IT team.
• Transactional notifications (emails and SMS) – these should be implemented in multiple languages, and it's important to confirm they are sent as intended and match store policies.

All these elements directly affect the customer experience, so it’s important to consider them early in the planning of the store’s technological infrastructure.

When preparing for cross-border eCommerce, logistics integrations should also be addressed to ensure smooth order fulfillment and returns. Check whether local couriers can deliver your parcels. It may seem trivial, but many EU countries have package size limits – for example, in Germany, a courier cannot deliver a single parcel weighing more than 31 kg.

It’s also important to ensure compliance with data protection regulations (GDPR) and proper tax management.

International expansion is not only a growth opportunity but also a significant technological challenge. If you're planning to enter new markets and need a partner to help prepare your store on the IT side, contact us. We’ll be happy to share our experience and support your project at every stage of your cross-border launch.