Have you decided to hire a China eCommerce agency to expand into the Chinese market?

Congratulations! You made the right call.

But, there is a problem.

Hiring the right eCommerce agency is not easy. There are many in the market and almost everyone will make tall claims about their success and achievements. How would you know which agency is the right fit for your business?

So, in this article, we are going to walk you through several key points to consider before finalizing an agency. Read on.

Communication Process

You need to get regular updates from your China eCommerce agency (adstochina.westwin.com/China-eCommerce-Agency) on the progress. This will help everyone to be on the same page and you would know if your marketing dollars are well-spent.

And you need to figure out how the agency will share the updates with you. Would they schedule a weekly phone call or an in-person meeting or simply share some documents through emails? Clarifying this ahead of time would make sure you don’t end up with any problems at a later stage.

Also, you need to know who will be communicating with you. Will it be the account manager or the sales lead or the project coordinator? Get answers to these questions before taking any step further.

Competitive Advantage

What’s your moat?

Is it cost, or, innovation? Or you have some intangible moats?

Make sure your agency understands and helps you identify or refine your moat to leverage it for your benefits.

Talk with them, discuss your target audience, and see how well they understand.

You might know who your competitors are. But it’s the responsibility of your China eCommerce agency to find out nitty-gritty details about your competitors and finding a great competitive advantage that will help you win the game.

Make sure the agency does a SWOT analysis and then chalk out a plan to help you stand out from the competition.

Result Turn-around-time

You have to ensure that you get your money’s worth. And that’s only possible when you get positive results and most importantly how soon you start seeing results.

So, after setting goals for your company, make sure the China eCommerce agency layout a comprehensive plan from beginning to end. Do not forget to ask them about the analytics they monitor and report on.

Furthermore, you need to know how frequently you can expect to get reports, what they will look like, and what data will be provided.

Portfolio

Before hiring a China eCommerce agency, make sure you review their portfolio and if those are relevant to your industry.

An agency’s portfolio usually speaks for itself. It will give you a fair idea of whether they have the required skills and expertise to take up your project.

Also, ask for case studies and success stories about their past clients.

Try to find out if the agency has tried something out of the ordinary. Most eCommerce agencies often use the same strategies which might not work for your business.

Does their work reflect an attempt at innovative thinking?

Satisfied clients

Does the China eCommerce agency has a long list of satisfied clients?

If yes, what are they saying about the agency?

Viewing or reading the testimonials will give you a perspective about how the agency added value to their past clients. So never forget to ask for testimonials.

However, good words wouldn’t always mean the agency will be a perfect fit for your business. Make sure they are relevant to your business or your requirements.

For example, let’s say you want to hire an agency to carry out your Baidu advertising initiatives. But the agency you plan to hire might be sharing testimonials about how well they do web design. Will that be relevant to what you want?

Also, look for Google and social media reviews to find out what others are saying about the agency.

If you see a large number of negative reviews, it’s a red flag. However, review carefully if those are legitimate or fake. Fake ones could be from their competitors. You might lose out partnering with a good China eCommerce agency because of someone’s foul play. Don’t fall into that trap.

So do you’ve any questions?