Sign-ups are coming in from countries your team has never actively targeted - you may even have a few paying customers there. So when the conversation turns to international growth, those markets seem like a sensible place to start.
But before committing to a new language, you’ll want to understand what’s behind that interest: Are those sign-ups coming from companies that are a good fit for your product? What would it take to help more of them become customers?
International market research gives you a way to work through those questions. Here’s how to use the data you already have to choose one or two markets to test, then decide what to localize first.
What is international market research?
International market research means gathering and analyzing data on demand, competition, buyer behavior, and operating conditions outside your home market to decide where to expand and how to adapt. For SaaS teams, it also informs which languages and website content to localize.
The core questions resemble domestic research, but the answers may change across borders. Buyers may need different product integrations, procurement documents, payment options, or languages for evaluation. Research those differences before committing to a launch.
If you’re unsure where to start, the International Trade Administration's market research resources can help you explore potential markets and identify the factors worth investigating further.
Start with the demand you already have
Start with your existing customers and pipeline. Compare qualified leads and revenue by country before ranking markets by website traffic. Use a consistent reporting period and check the following sources:
- Google Analytics 4 (GA4): Use GA4’s predefined user dimensions to review country and language. Country approximates location from IP addresses; Language reflects device operating system settings, which may differ from a buyer’s preferred evaluation language.
- Google Search Console: Use Search Console performance reports to review impressions and clicks by country. Multi-country filtering lets you view combined results, but retain country-level comparisons when ranking markets.
- Your CRM: Compare trials, qualified pipeline, and closed-won revenue by country. Use a consistent country field and check whether billing headquarters reflects where the buyers or product users are located.
- Sales and support conversations: Look for repeated requests about language availability, local pricing, or payment methods. Record which buyer segments make those requests.
- Localize: The language preference report helps identify languages to investigate. Browser settings are a useful signal; confirm buying-language preferences through Customer research.
Why traffic alone is a weak signal
A traffic spike may come from a viral article, a backlink, or bots. IP-based location can also be distorted by VPN use. Check whether visitors match your target audience and progress toward qualified leads or purchases.
Low existing demand needs interpretation, too. An English-only experience or limited marketing exposure can hide an opportunity. Use external data sources for market selection to investigate markets your first-party data barely captures.
How to conduct international market research in five steps
Use these five steps to turn demand signals into a market-entry decision.
1. Define the decision you need to make
Frame a specific decision: which one or two markets should you test over the next six months? Set a budget and an owner, then choose a primary success measure, such as qualified pipeline or trial-to-paid conversion. Agree on the evidence needed to continue investing.
2. Build a long list from first-party demand
Build an initial list from countries with paying customers, qualified leads, or consistent trials. Include promising markets where external research suggests demand despite limited current exposure.
Flag countries that share a language so you can estimate content reuse. Keep their commercial evaluations separate: common language does not establish common demand, pricing, regulation, or support requirements.
3. Screen markets with secondary research
For B2B SaaS, prioritize evidence about the companies you can serve. Use national economic indicators as background, then examine:
- Market size and budgets: Estimate how many companies match your ideal Customer profile and whether their budgets support your pricing. GDP per capita alone cannot answer those questions.
- Digital readiness: Check the target segment’s infrastructure and software adoption. ITU’s 2025 internet use data puts adoption at 94% in high-income countries and 23% in low-income countries; those population averages do not establish demand for your software.
- Language needs: Use the EF English Proficiency Index as background, then ask target buyers which languages they use to evaluate and purchase software.
- Product and legal requirements: Check essential integrations, security reviews, and applicable privacy or language rules, including Quebec’s Bill 96 where relevant.
- Purchasing and support: Confirm required payment methods, invoicing terms, and support coverage before estimating launch costs.
The Country Commercial Guides are a useful starting point for researching local market conditions and regulations. You can also explore Google Market Finder as an additional resource for international market analysis.
4. Measure in-language search demand and competition
Use an SEO research tool’s relevant country database to investigate category and problem-related terms in the local language. Localized SEO research should account for how buyers describe the problem, including English terms they actually use.
Compare search intent and volume, then examine ranking vendors and their localized offers. Ask a local reviewer to check ambiguous terms. Treat search volume as one demand signal: low volume alone does not rule out a niche enterprise market.
5. Validate with primary research
Test the assumption most likely to change your decision. Customer interviews can uncover procurement barriers; a localized acquisition test can investigate language friction.
For example, suppose qualified prospects from France visit pricing but rarely start a trial. Test whether a French pricing page and sign-up journey improve progression for a defined audience. Keep the offer and traffic source comparable where practical.
Before launch, agree on a target improvement and minimum evidence needed, based on your baseline and economics. Track qualified trial starts and follow them into pipeline. Continue if the result meets the agreed criteria; investigate inconclusive results or defer if demand remains weak.
Score and rank your target markets
Screen for feasibility before assigning scores. Confirm that you can legally serve each market, accept payment, meet essential product requirements, and support customers. Defer markets with unresolved launch barriers; a high demand score should not outweigh a requirement you cannot meet.
For eligible markets, use the suggested weights below as a starting point. Score each criterion from 1 to 5, with 5 always representing the most favorable conditions. Define the scale before comparing countries:
- First-party demand: 1 means confirmed weak qualified demand; 3 means recurring qualified interest; 5 means sustained paying customers or strong qualified pipeline.
- Ability to pay and market size: 1 means few suitable accounts or weak budget fit; 5 means a substantial reachable segment with budgets aligned to your pricing.
- In-language search demand: 1 means little relevant buying intent; 5 means strong relevant demand. Use 3 for a mixed picture.
- Localization effort: 1 means extensive new content and adaptation; 5 means substantial reuse and manageable maintenance.
- Competitive intensity: 1 means strong entrenched alternatives; 5 means a credible opening for your differentiated offer.
- Regulatory and payment complexity: 1 means substantial but manageable work; 5 means requirements your existing operation can readily meet.
Use 3 for moderate or mixed conditions where not specified, and 2 or 4 for intermediate ratings. Record the source and confidence behind each score; mark missing evidence as unknown and investigate it before ranking. The model makes assumptions visible, but does not remove judgment.
Here is a worked example using three hypothetical markets:
These illustrative scores do not represent actual market conditions. The weights total 100%.
Multiply each score by its weight and add the results. Germany’s total is (4 × 0.30) + (5 × 0.20) + (4 × 0.15) + (3 × 0.15) + (2 × 0.10) + (3 × 0.10) = 3.75 out of 5. Its stronger demand and market-size scores outweigh its less favorable competition score.
Adjust weights before scoring to reflect your priorities. If small weight changes reverse the ranking, gather more evidence before choosing. Select one or two feasible markets and set a review date.
Shared language can reduce effort without eliminating local adaptation. German content may serve Germany, Austria, and parts of Switzerland, while pricing, legal details, and terminology still need review. Our guide to the most widely used languages for website localization provides broader context.
Adapt buyer personas where research shows a difference
Create or adapt buyer personas when research reveals meaningful differences in buying roles, needs, or evaluation criteria. Country boundaries alone do not justify separate personas.
Use guides to localizing for Germany and localizing for France to identify questions to investigate, then validate them with your own buyers. Focus on:
- Buying committees: Identify who evaluates the product, approves the budget, and reviews security. Check whether those roles differ from your home market.
- Procurement expectations: Ask about invoicing, payment terms, required documentation, and approval processes.
- Language preferences: Ask which language buyers use for product research, vendor evaluation, and sales conversations. English proficiency does not establish a preference for an English buying journey.
A 2020 CSA Research consumer survey found that 76% of respondents preferred buying products with information in their native language, while 40% said they wouldn’t buy from websites in other languages. Although these figures reflect consumer rather than B2B SaaS purchasing behavior, they illustrate why language preferences deserve attention.
Questions to answer before you commit to a market
Before approving the launch budget, document answers to these questions. Resolve the gaps that would change your market choice:
- What validates demand? Combine relevant search intent with Customer interviews or a market test.
- What supports the business case? Identify qualified pipeline, paying customers, or evidence that justifies a further test.
- Can buyers complete the purchase? Verify payment, invoicing, and procurement requirements.
- Which laws apply to your activities? GDPR compliance may be required for personal-data processing linked to an EU establishment. It can also apply when a non-EU company targets people in the EU with goods or services or monitors their behavior there. Confirm the obligations for your situation.
- Why would buyers choose you? Identify a credible advantage against the alternatives they already consider.
- What will the full journey cost? Include review, product adaptation, support, and ongoing content maintenance.
- Who owns the decision? Name the launch owner, measurement lead, and person responsible for ongoing localization.
Turn your research into a localization plan
Turn the selected markets into a content localization strategy with a defined scope:
- Languages: Use buyer research alongside browser-language signals to choose the language and regional variant.
- Buying journey: Prioritize high-intent landing pages, pricing, sign-up, and the relevant trial interface. Include the support content a buyer needs to complete that journey.
- Measurement: Establish country-level baselines for qualified trial starts, pipeline, and conversion. Localize integrates with GA4 for page views, language switches, and defined custom events. Configure the events and reporting you need before launch.
Use 90 days as an initial review checkpoint, adjusted for traffic volume and the sales cycle. Compare results with your baseline and, where practical, a comparable unchanged audience. Record shifts in campaigns, pricing, and seasonality before attributing changes to localization. Low-volume or long-cycle markets may need more time.
Localize reduces manual coordination and publishing work; your team still owns review, measurement, and ongoing maintenance. Code.org cut its localization cycle time by more than 50% without adding headcount while serving learners across 190+ countries. Alternative Airlines increased engagement in localized regions from 40% to 80%. These Customer results illustrate execution outcomes. They do not predict results for your selected market.
For a more detailed approach to planning your rollout, explore our Website Localization Playbook.
Common international market research mistakes
Watch for these common international expansion mistakes when reviewing your plan:
- Using national size as product demand: Estimate reachable accounts and budget fit.
- Assuming shared language means identical needs: Validate local commercial and product requirements.
- Treating missing data as a negative result: Investigate low visibility before rejecting a market.
- Leaving research unchanged: Revisit the ranking when new evidence changes an assumption.
- Testing an incomplete journey: Check that localized pages lead to usable sign-up, trial, and support experiences.
Conclusion
Start with the demand you can verify, investigate the gaps, and compare markets you can realistically serve. A shortlist becomes useful when it leads to a scoped launch with an owner and clear measures.
Choose one or two markets to test, review the evidence, and expand when the results justify the investment.
Talk to an expert about turning your market priorities into a localization rollout, or download the Website Localization Playbook to plan your next steps.
