As important as it is to make sure that your online store is localised and optimised for conversions in multiple European countries, it’s far more important to make sure that everything you’re doing is above board in the eyes of the law.
Here are 4 of the key regulations concerning European eCommerce that ALL merchants need to know about…

GDPR

We all remember the countdown to GDPR that ensued for the first half of 2018, but just because D-Day has come and gone, it doesn’t mean that merchants can throw caution to the wind when expanding into new territories.

Make sure that all of the provisions are in place to deal with customer data in multiple countries – that includes photos, social media posts, IP addresses, bank details, and any identifying numbers. Remember that all data, regardless of the origin of the customer needs to be opt-in with customer permission, and stored securely.

Geoblocking

As and from 3 December 2018, customers cannot be discriminated against
based on the country they are located in. Therefore, you need to ensure that your website is enabled to allow visitors to purchase items from your website in the currency of their choice. Gone are the days that retailers can convert their price catalogue into multiple currencies and throw on an extra charge just for good measure, leaving users in a specific region with no choice but to buy your products at an inflated price. Being transparent about your prices and conversions is crucial to cross-border trading. Geoblocking laws are due to be fully reviewed and investigated in 2020.