The term glocal, used to describe global and local actions together, is used in several ways by business today. Many people supporting the local movement, such as local food advocates and those proposing ways to use local business for community building, suggest that some business activities should always consider transportation to the end market, including supplies in the supply chain. In an effort to reduce carbon footprint associated with shipping costs, the closer to home a built, manufactured, or grown product can be sold and used, the better. Global communication allows language, culture, news, and other exchanges of human knowledge and expression to be freely shared across cultures.
Maintaining a local business across the supply chain is quite difficult to do, even for artisans and those in the cottage industries, but for many the needed changes that will come with the local movement are worth the extra effort and expense to source goods locally. But for business, the use of glocal also suggests the cultural influences in attempting a new product launch into a global market.
A new startup develops a prototype and finds manufacturing partners that meet needs for productivity, supply, cost, and collaboration. When the product is ready for launch into other markets, local cultures will dictate how a product should be advertised, marketed, presented, and sold, as well as legal and regulatory issues. A piece of wearable tech designed to help women get pregnant by using biomarkers will be marketed differently in Kenya, Japan, and Iceland, for example.
Having specialists on board who are attending to anticipated glocal needs for a product launch early in the planning stages is important, but at the time of product launch, local partners will probably need to become involved.
If your new business is planning to have a global reach, begin anticipating glocal needs by identifying local partners in the targeted countries as early as possible and cultivating relationships.
For more information on glocal business, please contact us.
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