The Data Every Amazon Seller Needs Before Expanding Internationally

Expanding into other international Amazon markets is a powerful growth move, but without data, it can quickly turn into a costly misstep. The right analytics help you identify winning markets, optimise your product strategy, and scale profitably across borders. In this article, we’ll share with you the key performance indicators (KPIs) that matter when you want to expand into other Amazon marketplaces.

KPIs for International Amazon Growth

Sales Performance by Marketplace

• What it is: An estimate of total revenue and units sold per marketplace
• Why it matters: Highlights which regions are responding to your product and which aren’t. Use this to prioritise investments and localisation efforts
• Tips:  Use tools like Jungle Scout, Helium 10, or Amazon Brand Analytics (if available) to:

• Study competitors in your niche
• Estimate their monthly sales and pricing
• Assess overall category demand and saturation

Conversion Rate (CR) per ASIN per Country

• What it is: Percentage of visitors who purchase the products
• Why it matters: Conversion rates may indicate both issues and potential opportunities
• Tips: You can’t measure your own CR yet, but you can:

• Analyse best seller rank (BSR) trends and conversion rates of competitors
• Study the review velocity and frequency on competitor listings
• Identify issues, such as cultural or language gaps, in competitor listings that you could improve on

Advertising Cost of Sales (ACoS) & Total ACoS (TACoS)

• What it is: ACoS measures the direct ad spend-to-sales ratio. TACoS accounts for total revenue, not just ad-driven sales
• Why it matters: Helps assess the efficiency and long-term viability of campaigns, country by country
• Tips:  Use tools or Amazon’s Keyword Planner to:

• Estimate PPC competition and CPC rates in target markets
• Identify high-volume, lower-competition keywords
• Research competitor ad placements

Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC)

• What it is: The total marketing cost required to gain a new customer
• Why it matters: In new markets, CAC can spike. Monitoring it helps you don’t overspend chasing unprofitable growth
• Tips: Estimate potential CAC and then benchmark this against your product’s price and target profit margin

• Average CPCs.
• Expected conversion rates.
• Promotional spend assumptions.

Customer Reviews & Ratings by Region

• What it is: The number and average rating of reviews per marketplace
• Why it matters: Reviews influence the shoppers greatly. Negative patterns in specific countries may indicate problems with product-market fit or cultural mismatches
• Tips:

• Study competitors’ reviews, counts, average ratings, and customer sentiment in target regions
• Look for recurring complaints or praise to identify local preferences or red flags

Return Rate per Country

• What it is: The percentage of products returned by buyers in each market
• Why it matters: High return rates may point to listing inaccuracies, poor fulfillment quality, or unmet customer expectations
• Tips:

• Read competitor reviews to find mention of returns or dissatisfaction
• Research common issues in your category (e.g., sizing, material quality, expectations)

Buy Box Win Rate

• What it is: The percentage of page views where competitors own the Buy Box
• Why it matters: A low Buy Box percentage may be caused by price competition, poor seller metrics, or FBA setup issues. It is crucial for achieving international success
• Tips:

• Observe which sellers consistently win the Buy Box for similar products
• Take note of their pricing, shipping method (FBA vs FBM), and reviews

Inventory Turnover Rate

• What it is: How quickly your inventory sells in each marketplace
• Why it matters: Balancing inventory across international FBA centers is tricky. This KPI helps you avoid overstocking or stockouts
• Tips: Estimate turnover based on:

• Competitor sales estimates
• Average demand in category
• Peak seasonality of the region

Best Practices When Planning Expansion

Market Research and Localisation

Use tools like Amazon’s Brand Analytics and research to study buying habits, search trends, and competition in each market. Invest in local experts or agencies for localisation. This includes:

• Accurate translation (not just Google Translate!)
• Cultural adaptation of product benefits
• Market-specific keyword optimisation

Real-Life Example

To enhance customer experience, Lezzat oversaw the localisation of product visuals for a toothbrush charger brand. The brand previously had only images and not enough infographics, which we believe caused them a lot of missed potential conversions.

Our team then worked to ensure all image-based content had the necessary infographics and were professionally translated into the target market’s native language. In this case, the product image was adapted for the German market. This helped shoppers feel more understood and connected to the product.

Compliance and Regulations

Each country has unique import laws, taxes, certifications, and safety standards. Avoid costly legal issues by consulting local tax advisors and regulatory consultants. Amazon’s own resources like VAT Services and Global Selling guides can help simplify this process.

Platform Fees & Support Comparison

The next important step is to evaluate the fee structures, available seller support, and infrastructure in each Amazon marketplace.

For example, VAT rules differ between the EU and the U.S., and so do referral fees and FBA costs. It’s also smart to engage with Amazon seller communities to learn what support levels and tools work best in specific regions.

Smart Logistics

When expanding to new Amazon regions, both FBA and FBM have pros and cons. FBA gives you fast, Prime-eligible delivery, local customer service, and easier compliance with Amazon standards.

It’s ideal for high-demand markets but comes with storage fees, complex cross-border inventory transfers, and less control. FBM, on the other hand, offers more flexibility and cost control, especially if you have your own logistics setup or sell low-volume or bulky items. However, it requires managing international shipping, customs, and returns yourself.

What to evaluate per marketplace:

• Product type
• Fulfillment costs and fees
• Delivery expectations and Prime eligibility
• Local warehousing needs
• Return handling infrastructure

Financial Setup and Currency Management

Use financial partners or Amazon’s Currency Converter for Sellers (ACCS) to manage exchange rates and optimise profit margins. Local payment preferences also matter, so ensure your system supports them.

Customer Support and Communication

Build multilingual support systems, whether in-house or through third-party providers. Respect cultural communication norms and provide support during local business hours.



Monitor, Analyse & Adjust

Global expansion is not a one-time setup. Once you’ve chosen marketplaces and launched, continuously review your data to spot issues early and optimise performance. This includes:

• Weekly sales and CR reports by marketplace
• Return reason analysis
• ACoS and TACoS trends over time
• Cultural insights from reviews and support tickets

What key metrics should sellers monitor when expanding internationally on Amazon?

You can focus on the following metrics when entering new markets:

• Sales Volume: To gauge product demand.
• Conversion Rates: To assess listing effectiveness.
• Customer Reviews and Ratings: To understand customer wants and needs.
• Advertising Cost of Sales (ACoS): To evaluate advertising efficiency.
• Operational Factors (shipping times, return rates, fulfillment efficiency): To identify logistical challenges.
• Compliance, Local Regulations, VAT Obligations & Marketplace-Specific Rules: To ensure smooth operations and avoids costly penalties.

Final Thoughts

Going global on Amazon isn’t just about uploading your listings to new marketplaces and hoping for the best. It’s about understanding what the numbers are really telling you. The Amazon sellers who succeed internationally? They never ignore these 8 crucial metrics (KPIs). They review them regularly, make quick adjustments when needed, and always let the data guide their decisions.

Your UK success proves you’ve got a winning product. Now use these numbers to make sure your global expansion is just as successful – without the expensive surprises that catch most Amazon sellers off guard.