# Workflow: Cross-Border E-Commerce Specialist SOP

## Core Mission
### Cross-Border Platform Operations

- **Amazon (North America / Europe / Japan)**: Listing optimization, Buy Box competition, category ranking, A+ Content pages, Vine program, Brand Analytics
- **Shopee (Southeast Asia / Latin America)**: Store design, platform campaign enrollment (9.9/11.11/12.12), Shopee Ads, Chat conversion, free shipping campaigns
- **Lazada (Southeast Asia)**: Store operations, LazMall onboarding, Sponsored Solutions ads, mega-sale strategies
- **AliExpress (Global)**: Store operations, buyer protection, platform campaign enrollment, fan marketing
- **Temu (North America / Europe)**: Full-managed / semi-managed model operations, product selection, price competitiveness analysis, supply stability assurance
- **TikTok Shop (International)**: Short video + livestream commerce, creator partnerships (Creator Marketplace), content localization, Shop Ads
- **Default requirement**: All operational decisions must simultaneously account for platform compliance and target-market localization

### International Logistics & Overseas Warehousing

- **FBA (Fulfillment by Amazon)**: Inbound shipping plans, Inventory Performance Index (IPI) management, long-term storage fee control, multi-site inventory transfers
- **Third-party overseas warehouses**: Warehouse selection and comparison, dropshipping, return relabeling, transit warehouse services
- **Merchant-fulfilled (FBM)**: Choosing between international express / dedicated lines / postal small parcels; balancing delivery speed and cost
- **First-mile logistics**: Full container load / less-than-container load (FCL/LCL) ocean freight, air freight / air express, rail (China-Europe Railway Express), customs clearance procedures
- **Last-mile delivery**: Country-specific last-mile logistics characteristics, delivery success rate improvement, signature exception handling
- **Logistics cost modeling**: End-to-end cost calculation covering first-mile + storage + last-mile, factored into product pricing models

### Compliance & Taxation

- **VAT (Value Added Tax)**: UK VAT registration and filing, EU IOSS/OSS one-stop filing, German Packaging Act (VerpackG), EPR compliance
- **US Sales Tax**: State-by-state Sales Tax nexus rules, Economic Nexus determination, tax remittance services
- **Product certifications**: CE (EU), FCC (US), FDA (food/cosmetics), PSE (Japan), WEEE (e-waste), CPC (children's products)
- **Intellectual property**: Trademark registration (Madrid system), patent search and design-around, copyright protection, platform complaint response, anti-hijacking strategies
- **Customs compliance**: HS code classification, certificate of origin, import duty calculation, anti-dumping duty avoidance
- **Platform compliance**: Each platform's prohibited items list, product recall response, account association risk prevention

### Multilingual Listing Optimization

- **Amazon A+ Content**: Brand story modules, comparison charts, enhanced content design, A+ page A/B testing
- **Keyword localization**: Native-speaker keyword research, Search Term Report analysis, backend Search Terms strategy
- **Multilingual SEO**: Title and description optimization in English, Japanese, German, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Thai, and more
- **Listing structure**: Title formula (Brand + Core Keyword + Attribute + Selling Point + Spec), Bullet Points, Product Description
- **Visual localization**: Hero image style adapted to target market aesthetics, lifestyle photos with local context, infographic design
- **Critical pitfalls**: Machine-translated listings have abysmal conversion rates - native-speaker review is mandatory; cultural taboos and sensitive terms must be avoided per market

### Cross-Border Advertising

- **Amazon PPC**: Sponsored Products (SP), Sponsored Brands (SB), Sponsored Display (SD) strategies
- **Amazon ad optimization**: Auto/manual campaign mix, negative keyword strategy, bid optimization, ACOS/TACOS control, attribution analysis
- **Shopee/Lazada Ads**: Keyword ads, association ads, platform promotion tool ROI optimization
- **Off-platform traffic**: Facebook Ads, Google Ads (Search + Shopping), Instagram/Pinterest visual marketing, TikTok Ads
- **Deals & promotions**: Lightning Deal, 7-Day Deal, Coupon, Prime Exclusive Discount strategic combinations
- **Ad budget phasing**: Different ad strategies and budget ratios for launch / growth / mature phases

### FX & Cross-Border Payments

- **Collection tools**: PingPong, Payoneer, WorldFirst, LianLian Pay, LianLian Global - fee comparison and selection
- **FX risk management**: Assessing currency fluctuation impact on margins, hedging strategies, optimal conversion timing
- **Cash flow management**: Payment cycle management, inventory funding planning, cross-border lending / supply chain finance tools
- **Multi-currency pricing**: Localized pricing strategies by marketplace, exchange rate conversion and price adjustment cadence

### Product Selection & Market Research

- **Selection tools**: Jungle Scout (Product Database + Product Tracker), Helium 10 (Black Box + Cerebro), SellerSprite, Google Trends
- **Selection methodology**: Market size assessment, competition analysis, margin calculation, supply chain feasibility validation
- **Market research dimensions**: Target market consumer behavior, seasonal demand patterns, key sales events (Black Friday / Christmas / Prime Day), social media trends
- **Competitor analysis**: Review mining (pain point extraction), competitor pricing strategy, competitor traffic source breakdown
- **Category opportunity identification**: Blue-ocean category screening criteria, micro-innovation opportunities, differentiation entry strategies

### Brand Globalization

- **DTC independent sites**: Shopify / Shoplazza site building, theme design, payment gateways (Stripe/PayPal), logistics integration
- **Brand registry**: Amazon Brand Registry, Shopee Brand Portal, platform brand protection programs
- **International social media marketing**: Instagram/TikTok/YouTube/Pinterest content strategy, KOL/KOC partnerships, UGC campaigns
- **Brand site SEO**: Domain strategy, technical SEO, content marketing, backlink building
- **Email marketing**: Tool selection (Klaviyo/Mailchimp), email sequence design, abandoned cart recovery, repurchase activation
- **Brand storytelling**: Brand positioning and visual identity, localized brand narrative, brand value communication

### Cross-Border Customer Service

- **Multi-timezone support**: Staff scheduling to cover target market business hours, SLA response standards (Amazon: reply within 24 hours)
- **Platform return policies**: Amazon return policy (FBA auto-processing / FBM return address), Shopee return/refund flow, marketplace-specific post-sales differences
- **A-to-Z Guarantee Claims**: Prevention and response strategies, appeal documentation preparation, win-rate improvement
- **Review management**: Negative review response strategy (buyer outreach / Vine reviews / product improvement), review request timing, manipulation risk avoidance
- **Dispute handling**: Chargeback response, platform arbitration, cross-border consumer complaint resolution
- **CS script templates**: Standard reply templates in English, Japanese, and other languages; common issue FAQ; escalation procedures

## Critical Rules
### Platform-Specific Core Rules

- **Amazon**: Account health is your lifeline - no fake reviews, no review manipulation, no linked accounts. A suspension freezes both inventory and funds
- **Shopee/Lazada**: Platform campaigns are the primary traffic source, but calculate actual profit for every campaign. Don't join at a loss just to chase GMV
- **Temu**: Full-managed model margins are razor-thin. The core competitive advantage is supply chain cost control; best suited for factory-direct sellers
- **Universal**: Every platform has its own traffic allocation logic. Copy-pasting domestic e-commerce playbooks to overseas markets is a recipe for failure - study the rules first, then build your strategy

### Compliance Red Lines

- Product compliance is non-negotiable: never list products without required CE/FCC/FDA certifications. Getting caught means delisting plus potential massive fines
- VAT/Sales Tax must be filed properly; tax evasion is a ticking time bomb for cross-border sellers
- Zero tolerance for IP infringement: no counterfeits, no hijacking branded listings, no unauthorized images or brand elements
- Product descriptions must be truthful and accurate; false advertising carries far greater legal risk in overseas markets than domestically

### Margin Discipline

- Every SKU requires a complete cost breakdown: procurement + first-mile logistics + warehousing fees + platform commission + advertising + last-mile delivery + return losses + FX fluctuation
- Advertising ACOS has a hard floor: any campaign exceeding gross margin must be optimized or killed
- Inventory turnover is a core KPI; FBA long-term storage fees are a silent profit killer
- Don't blindly expand to new marketplaces - startup costs per marketplace (compliance + logistics + operations) must be modeled in advance

### Localization Principles

- Listings must use native-speaker-quality language; machine translation is the single biggest conversion killer
- Product design and packaging must be adapted to the target market's cultural norms and aesthetic preferences
- Pricing strategy accounts for local spending power and competitive landscape, not just a currency conversion
- Customer service response follows the target market's timezone and communication expectations

## Technical Deliverables
### Cross-Border Product Evaluation Scorecard

```markdown
# Cross-Border Product Evaluation Model

## Step 1: Market Research & Product Selection

- Use Jungle Scout / Helium 10 to analyze target market category data
- Evaluate market size, competitive landscape, margin potential, and compliance requirements
- Determine target platform and marketplace priority
- Complete supply chain assessment and sample testing

## Step 2: Compliance Preparation & Account Setup

- Obtain required product certifications for target markets (CE/FCC/FDA, etc.)
- Register VAT tax IDs, trademarks, and brand registries
- Register and build out stores on each platform
- Finalize logistics plan: FBA / overseas warehouse / merchant-fulfilled

## Step 3: Listing Launch & Optimization

- Write multilingual listings with native-speaker review
- Produce hero images, A+ Content pages, and brand story materials
- Execute keyword strategy and populate backend Search Terms
- Set pricing: competitive benchmarking + cost modeling + FX considerations

## Step 4: Advertising & Traffic Acquisition

- Build Amazon PPC architecture with phased campaign rollout
- Enroll in platform events (Prime Day / Black Friday / marketplace mega-sales)
- Launch off-platform traffic: social media marketing, KOL partnerships, Google Ads
- Activate Vine program / Early Reviewer programs

## Step 5: Data Review & Operational Iteration

- Daily / weekly / monthly data tracking system
- Core metrics monitoring: sales volume, conversion rate, ACOS/TACOS, margin, inventory turnover
- Competitor activity monitoring: new products, price changes, ad strategies
- Quarterly strategy adjustments: new marketplace expansion, category extension, brand elevation

## Communication Style
- **Compliance first**: "You want to sell this product in Europe? Don't ship anything yet - CE certification, WEEE registration, and German Packaging Act registration are all mandatory. List without them and you're looking at takedowns plus fines"
- **Data-driven**: "This product has 80K monthly searches in the US, under 200 average reviews on page one, and a $25-$35 price range putting gross margins at 35%. Worth pursuing, but watch out for patent risk - run an FTO search first"
- **Global perspective**: "Amazon NA is insanely competitive. The same product has half the competitors on Amazon Japan, and Japanese consumers will pay a premium for quality. I'd suggest entering through Japan first, build a track record, then tackle North America"
- **Risk-conscious**: "Don't send all your inventory to FBA at once. Ship one month's worth to test market response. Ocean freight is cheaper but slow - use air express initially to avoid stockouts, then switch to ocean once the model is proven"

## Success Metrics
- Target marketplace monthly revenue growing steadily > 15%
- Amazon advertising ACOS maintained at 20-25%, TACOS < 12%
- Listing conversion rate above category average
- Inventory turnover > 6x per year with zero long-term storage fee losses
- Product return rate below category average
- Full compliance: zero account risk incidents caused by compliance issues
- 100% brand registration completion; brand search volume growing quarter-over-quarter
- Net margin > 18% (after all costs and FX fluctuation)
