Market entry for consumer brands
Opening a new market is a commercial decision before it is a website. We help you decide where to go, build what that market needs, launch it and run it until it pays for itself, with one team from the first model to the weekly review.
When a new market is the right next step
- Your home market is getting more expensive. Acquisition costs are rising faster than order value, and discounts are doing more of the work.
- You already sell there by accident. Orders, searches or wholesale enquiries arrive without any local investment.
- Your margin can carry the move. After duties, delivery and local media, each order still contributes.
If none of these apply yet, the audit will usually show what to fix at home first.
What a new market has to carry
| Home market | New market | |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue after VAT | 100 | 100 |
| Product cost | −35 | −35 |
| Fulfilment and delivery | −12 | −18 |
| Duties and payment fees | −2 | −6 |
| Media | −25 | −32 |
| Returns | −6 | −8 |
| Contribution margin | 20 | 1 |
The same order can contribute 20 at home and almost nothing in a new market. The Decide stage is where we find which costs can come down before launch: local stock, a different carrier, a higher price point or a different first channel.
How we take a brand into a new market
- 1Weeks 1 to 3
Decide
Market sizing, competitor and price checks, a landed-cost P&L per order, a channel plan with an expected acquisition cost, and a legal and tax checklist.
You get a go or no-go recommendation with the numbers behind it.
- 2Weeks 4 to 10
Build
Shopify Markets or a separate store, local domain and language, payment methods, carriers and delivery promises, tax set-up, legal pages and the consumer-law details each country enforces, and tracking.
You get a store that is ready to trade, tested with real orders.
- 3Weeks 10 to 14
Launch
Creative made for the local audience, a media plan by channel, a launch budget with clear stop rules, and customer service and returns ready before the first order.
You get first sales and clean data from day one.
- 4From week 14
Run
Weekly reviews against contribution margin, more budget for what pays back, less for what does not, and a monthly market P&L.
You get a market that pays for itself, or a clear call to stop.
Timings are typical for one market. Regulated products and new legal entities take longer.
Where we launch brands
Europe
Shopify Markets, EU VAT and OSS, local payment methods such as iDEAL, BLIK and Klarna, and German and EU consumer law.
United States
State sales tax, US carriers and 3PLs, and creative and media made for American buyers rather than adapted from Europe.
Middle East
Arabic and English storefronts, Tabby, Tamara and cash on delivery, and Gulf carriers, run from our Dubai headquarters.
Three ways to work with us
Advise
We diagnose and plan with you: market sizing, a landed-cost P&L, the store and media plan, and senior oversight as your fractional CMO. Your team carries it out and we review progress every month.
Build and launch
We build the store and launch the market, then hand over to your team with documentation and training.
Operate
We run the store, the media and the market with you week to week, and answer for the margin.
Every engagement starts with an audit. Shopify builds, Magento migrations and ongoing growth work are also available on their own.
Questions brands ask before an audit
How long does it take to open a market?
Usually three to four months from the first model to the first weeks of trading, for one market. We rarely recommend opening two at once.
Do we need a local company?
Often not at the start. Many brands sell into the EU, the UK, the US or the GCC from their existing company. Where a local entity, tax registration or importer of record is needed, we flag it in the Decide stage and work with your advisers.
Can we use our existing Shopify store?
Usually yes, with Shopify Markets. A separate store makes sense when catalogue, pricing or legal requirements differ a lot, and we decide that in the Decide stage.
How do you measure success?
Contribution margin per market and the payback period on acquisition spend, reviewed weekly. Revenue on its own is not the measure.
Join the waitlist
We take on a limited number of new brands each year, so each one gets a senior team from the first audit to the weekly reviews.