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3.2.1 Sites for different geographiesFrequently, a selling enterprise must maintain presence in multiple geographies. In the case of a multinational selling enterprise, such geographies are determined by national boundaries, state or provincial jurisdictions, or marketing and sales territories. Consider a multinational selling enterprise that maintains presence in many countries. Typically, each country has its own regulations and peculiarities in various areas. For example, while the overall enterprise maintains a single set of goods or services, any one of the geographies may make decisions on which a subset of the products is available within its site. Such differences in the set of available products may be due to legal restrictions or marketing decisions. Other examples include tax regulations, which differ from country to country, and shipping rules, which depend on arrangements with local shipping providers. Marketing campaigns may be targeted at specific geographies, with specific advertising or promotions offered only in selected areas. It is also possible that some marketing messages must be delivered at the enterprise level (there may be a requirement to run global campaigns that are shared by all geographies). Even for shared assets, some aspects may need to vary. For example, product descriptions may be shared by all sites that sell the particular product. However, each geography may present these descriptions in a different set of languages. For example, in the United States, customers may choose to see the site in English or Spanish, while in Canada many sites are available in English and French. A multinational seller needs to set up sites so that the appropriate choice of languages is available in each geography. A site set up for a particular geography must present pricing in the currency that is appropriate for the corresponding country. This involves either managing prices in multiple currencies, or dynamic currency conversion throughout the shopping or purchasing process. |
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