Why Ghent businesses are investing in international and multi-region stores
Ghent is a capital of east flanders province, belgium, where around 273,000 people live and shop, and one of the markets in Belgium where we build international and multi-region stores.
Key sectors include biotech and tech startups, with business districts such as the city centre and Technologiepark.
Logistics are supported by Port of Ghent, which matters when you promise customers fast delivery.
Belgium has SMEs make up 99% of all businesses in the European Union (European Commission). Belgian shoppers expect bilingual Dutch/French stores and Bancontact at checkout. Many still buy from Dutch and French sites, so local stock and fast delivery are a real edge.
Shoppers and trade buyers in Ghent already compare options on their phones; an international e-commerce platform that loads fast, shows accurate stock and accepts Bancontact turns that research into orders.
Local details we build into every Ghent project
Conversion in Ghent depends on small local signals — the right currency, the right words and the right payment and courier names.
Currency and pricing
Prices, taxes, shipping and refunds are shown in euro (EUR), formatted the way Ghent customers read them.
Language and content
We localise pages, emails and notifications into Dutch, French and German where your audience needs it.
Local trust signals
We add the payment logos, courier names and policy pages shoppers in Ghent recognise: Bancontact and Visa and Mastercard and delivery through bpost.
Domain, phone and contact
Using .be where it suits you signals a local business to shoppers and search engines. Click-to-call and WhatsApp buttons use the +32 calling code so customers reach you without dialling errors.
Talent and partners nearby
Ghent draws on Ghent University, which means plenty of local staff, interns and technology partners to run the store after launch.
An international e-commerce platform built around your Ghent business
We do not hand Ghent businesses a ready-made theme: we study how you sell, then build the online platform and Android/iOS app your customers and staff actually need.
In Ghent we typically work with exporters, D2C brands expanding abroad, manufacturers selling to distributors overseas and diaspora-focused retailers, and with sellers in categories such as fashion, electronics, food and chocolate and home that have strong online demand in Belgium.
Before any commitment you get a free requirements meeting, a demo built on your use case and a proposal priced to your budget.
Core modules we build for Ghent clients
Each module below is configured — or custom-developed — to your requirements. You choose what launches first and what follows in later phases.
Regional storefronts
Country or region sites with local language, content, currency, promotions and hreflang SEO. Stock can be held in Ghent or anywhere in Belgium, with pickup and local-delivery options where they make sense.
Local payments
Market-specific cards, wallets, bank transfers, BNPL and cash methods through suitable providers. Reports show which products, customers and areas of Ghent drive revenue.
Tax and duties
VAT, GST and sales-tax rules, tax-inclusive pricing, duties and landed-cost estimates where needed. Content and design can follow how customers in Ghent search and buy, including Dutch and French where you need it.
Cross-border shipping
International couriers, regional warehouses, shipping zones, customs documents and returns. Product data imports from your existing sheets or ERP, so Ghent teams do not re-type thousands of items.
Compliance pages
Market-appropriate privacy notices, cookie consent, consumer terms and accessibility considerations. Checkout is configured for Bancontact, Visa and Mastercard and PayPal.
Regional reporting
Sales, margin, conversion and marketing performance by country and currency. Shipping rules can use bpost, PostNL Belgium and DPD as well as your own delivery staff in Ghent.
Who we build for in Ghent
Popular online categories in Belgium include fashion, electronics, food and chocolate, home, beauty and books. Local demand in Ghent is shaped by biotech and tech startups, so we often design catalogues and B2B ordering around those sectors. In Ghent, we most often build international and multi-region stores for:
Exporters
We map how exporters sell today and digitise it end to end — from enquiry and order to payment, dispatch and repeat purchase.
D2C brands expanding abroad
For D2C brands expanding abroad, we usually start with tax and duties, then add tax engines once orders are flowing.
Manufacturers selling to distributors overseas
Catalogue, pricing and fulfilment rules designed for manufacturers selling to distributors overseas in Ghent, connected to the systems you already use.
Diaspora-focused retailers
Diaspora-focused retailers get cross-border shipping plus regional reporting workflows tailored to their operations.
Tourism and gifting businesses
We map how tourism and gifting businesses sell today and digitise it end to end — from enquiry and order to payment, dispatch and repeat purchase.
Multi-country retail groups
For multi-country retail groups, we usually start with regional storefronts, then add marketplace feeds by country once orders are flowing.
Checkout and payment methods for Ghent
Checkout is where most online sales are won or lost. In Belgium, customers expect to pay with Bancontact, Visa and Mastercard and PayPal, and many also look for Payconiq, Apple Pay and KBC/CBC Pay.
We integrate suitable gateways and providers for your business category and merchant eligibility, handle payment status, failed-payment retries and refunds, and keep sensitive card data with the provider rather than on your servers. All amounts are shown in euro (EUR).
Business buyers around the city centre often want invoices or bank transfer, while consumers lean on Bancontact. We support both flows.
- Bancontact
- Visa and Mastercard
- Payconiq
- Apple Pay
- PayPal
- KBC/CBC Pay
Delivery and fulfilment from Ghent
Your international e-commerce platform can book shipments and share tracking with bpost, PostNL Belgium, DPD, GLS, DHL and Mondial Relay, or route orders to your own riders and stores across Ghent.
We set up shipping zones, cut-off times, free-shipping thresholds, cash-collection rules and returns so the promise on the product page matches what your team can deliver.
Connectivity in the area — Port of Ghent — makes regional and national dispatch from Ghent practical.
Ghent sellers: marketplace plus your own store
Bol, Amazon (FR/NL/DE) and Coolblue are where many shoppers in Ghent start, which is why sellers list there. The trade-off is commission, limited branding and rules the platform can change overnight.
Your international e-commerce platform becomes the hub: marketplaces and social shops become extra outlets fed from one catalogue, while repeat customers buy directly from you at better margins.
Selling online legally in Belgium
Tax basics: Belgian VAT is 21% standard with 12% and 6% reduced rates; B2B e-invoicing via Peppol is mandatory from 2026.
Two frameworks shape the build: the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the ePrivacy rules on cookies and marketing consent, enforced by the Belgian Data Protection Authority, and the EU Consumer Rights Directive (14-day withdrawal right), the Digital Services Act and, from June 2025, the European Accessibility Act for online shops and Book VI of the Code of Economic Law.
Our job is the engineering: price display with tax, invoice numbering, cookie and marketing consent, return and terms pages, role-based access and logs. Legal and tax conclusions stay with your own adviser in Belgium.
Android and iOS apps for your Ghent business
Region-aware mobile apps can switch language, currency and payment options automatically while sharing one codebase and backend.
One backend serves the website and the apps, and the apps ship under your own Google Play and App Store accounts — so what you change once appears everywhere.
Order alerts, offers and abandoned-cart reminders go out on Ghent time (UTC+2), in Dutch and French if you want.
- Multi-currency payment providers
- International couriers and 3PLs
- Translation management
- Marketplace feeds by country
- Tax engines
- Regional analytics
- Geo-IP and consent platforms
- ERP and accounting
Integrations above are examples; we connect any system that offers a suitable API, database access or approved import and export process.
How we phase your international e-commerce platform
We launch the journeys that create value first, then add depth. A typical roadmap for an international e-commerce platform in Ghent:
| Phase | What goes live |
|---|---|
| First market | One new region with language, currency, payments, tax and shipping. Configured for EUR, Bancontact and bpost from the start. |
| Multi-region | Additional countries, local promotions and marketplace feeds. |
| Optimise | Regional apps, warehouses and localisation improvements. Reviewed against how Ghent customers actually buy. |
Success is measured on conversion by country, international order share, checkout completion by payment method, delivery time by region, return rate abroad and margin after duties and shipping — tracked on a dashboard you can see from launch day.
Time zones, language and support
Ghent runs on UTC+2, which is 3h 30m behind India (IST). With three 8-hour shifts we are available 24×7, so meetings, demos and urgent fixes happen in your working hours.
Project communication is in English; storefront content can be produced in Dutch, German and French. You get a named lead, direct engineer access and an NDA if you ask.
Our head office is in Chhapi, Gujarat, with an office in Hyderabad and representation in Nigeria, South Africa, Ethiopia and Zambia; Ghent clients are served remotely with on-site workshops when the project needs them.
