How to Grow a Brand Across Different Markets:

An interview with Loris Voyer, CEO and co-founder of e-Comas Digital Marketing

About Loris Voyer

Loris Voyer is the CEO and co-founder of e-Comas Digital Marketing, a European digital marketing agency specialising in e-Commerce, marketplaces and brand growth. With a background in communication, branding and digital marketing, Loris has spent years helping brands build stronger identities and accelerate their growth across different channels and markets.

Through e-Comas, Loris works with brands looking to expand internationally, combining a strong understanding of digital performance with a broader perspective on branding, consumer behaviour and local market dynamics.

For him, international growth is not about simply replicating what works in one country. It is about understanding what makes a brand relevant to consumers in each market, while keeping the brand’s core identity intact.

You can follow him on Linkedin.

 

What are the key factors a brand should consider before entering a new international market?

Oof, you start with a tough one!

Of course it depends on the brand, the products, the history they have… but in general the first question I would ask is “Why should consumers in this market buy from us?”. Like is it a culturally relevant market? Any need unfulfilled? Are there any competitors yet?

A large market does not automatically mean a good market. Before investing, I would look at several things: the competitive landscape, consumer behaviour, purchasing power, search demand, acquisition costs, local competitors and, of course, whether the brand actually has something relevant to offer.

I also think brands sometimes underestimate how much the competitive environment can change from one country to another. A product that is a market leader in one country can underperform in another.

For me, the best approach is to validate the opportunity before scaling. Test the market, test the messaging, test the marketing and see how consumers react. You don’t necessarily need to invest hundreds of thousands of euros to find out whether a market has potential.

International expansion is not mandatory, but when it’s done it should be done properly!

 

How much should a brand adapt its strategy to each market?

Short answer: a lot… without losing their identity.

The brand identity, positioning and core values should remain consistent. Otherwise, you risk creating five different brands instead of one international brand.

But the way you communicate those values should absolutely evolve depending on the market.

A simple example: humour doesn’t work the same way everywhere. The way people respond to advertising, promotions, influencers, product benefits or even the tone of a website can be radically different. So I wouldn’t translate a French strategy into English and call it an international strategy. I would keep the strategic backbone consistent and adapt the execution locally.

Very often we start with a list: values, visual assets, etc. We try to “strip down” the brand and look for their core values: what makes them who they are, what differentiates them from the competitors, and build on that.

The mistake is thinking that consistency means doing exactly the same thing everywhere. In reality, consistency means that people should recognise the same brand, even when the brand speaks differently to them.

 

What are the biggest differences you typically see between markets when it comes to digital marketing and consumer behaviour?

The platforms people use, the way they discover products, how much they trust advertising, the role of influencers, the importance of reviews, the way they search and even what makes them click on an ad can vary enormously.

But also more obvious things: daily habits, like their dinner time and work hours. These also have an impact on how people consume social media and digital content.

A strategy that performs extremely well in France might perform poorly in Germany, Italy or the Netherlands, not because the product is wrong, but because the consumer journey is different. I have seen brands make the mistake of taking their best-performing creative, translating it, and launching it in another country.

You have to ask: What made this content work in the first place? Was it the message? The visual? The offer? The cultural reference? The social proof?

Once you understand the reason behind the performance, you can recreate the success rather than simply replicate the asset. To me nothing replaces having local people to adapt the brand.

 

Good introduction to the next question: How important is localisation?

It’s like the top one thing you should think about first. It goes beyond simply translating content.

A properly localised market entry means adapting the entire customer experience: the website, product pages, advertising, social media, tone of voice, payment methods, delivery expectations, customer service, reviews, creators and sometimes even the way the product itself is presented.

And I insist: even the product itself! For lots of reasons a product can be the leader in one market and perform poorly in another country. Europe is a “mess”: many countries, and even within the countries, different cultural habits.

For example, in product messaging: You can translate “lightweight and practical” perfectly into another language, but that doesn’t mean those are the benefits that matter most to consumers in that market. Maybe consumers there care more about durability, design, sustainability or value for money.

So the question isn’t “How do we say this in German?”, it’s more like “Why would a German consumer care about this?”

 

When entering a new market, which channels should a brand prioritise first?

Once again, it depends. I don’t believe there is one universal answer: it depends on the product, the maturity of the brand and the market you’re entering.

But I generally like the idea of combining brand building and performance from the beginning, rather than waiting six months to start selling.

Having said that, websites are a good basis to show that you have set foot in the market. A properly done (selling or not) website in a local language shows that you are a trustworthy brand, and this is kind of universal to show that your brand doesn’t only exist on social media or eCommerce marketplaces.

But other than that, I would say social media gives you immediate feedback. It tells you which audiences, messages and products generate interest and conversions.

At the same time, brand building helps create familiarity and trust, which becomes increasingly important as you scale. For an eCommerce brand, I would typically start by identifying where the existing demand is: search, marketplaces, Meta, TikTok, creators, etc. Then I would use those channels to learn.

The objective of the first phase should be to learn quickly and cheaply, then scale what you have validated. Test and learn again and again…

 

What role does local expertise play in international expansion?

Well, local expertise is one of the biggest competitive advantages a brand can have. A central team can understand the brand perfectly. But they might not understand why a consumer in Italy behaves differently from a consumer in France. That’s where local expertise becomes incredibly valuable.

And local doesn’t necessarily mean hiring a huge team in every country. It can mean working with local agencies, creators, freelancers, media specialists or simply people who live and breathe that market.

At e-Comas, this is particularly important because we operate across European markets. One of the things I strongly believe in is combining centralised strategic thinking with local market knowledge: The central team protects the brand. Local experts help the brand become relevant.

 

What are the most common mistakes you see brands making when trying to expand internationally?

I’m repeating myself but the biggest mistake is probably assuming that what worked at home will automatically work abroad. Especially in the first market where the brand has had months or years to adapt, test and learn to the market.

Brands often take their website, their campaigns, their social media content and their messaging, translate everything, and launch. Then they are surprised when performance is disappointing.

 

If you had to give one piece of advice to a brand preparing to launch in its first international market, what would it be?

Don’t start by asking how you can sell more. Start by asking how you can understand the market better.

Spend time talking to consumers. Look at competitors. Read reviews. Analyse search behaviour. Understand how people discover products. Talk to local experts, and most importantly, start small.

Your first international market should be a learning laboratory. If you can understand why consumers buy, why they don’t buy and what makes your brand relevant to them, scaling becomes much easier.

I would rather have a brand that enters one country, learns everything it can and builds a strong foundation than a brand that launches in 10 countries and understands none of them. International expansion is not about becoming bigger overnight. It’s about becoming relevant in more places.

You can follow Loris on Linkedin.