Why 'Copy and Paste' Doesn’t Work in International Expansion

By Shona Sabah
Senior Manager - Strategic Growth Lead

Expanding into new markets is a huge opportunity for payment and technology companies. The chance to increase your total addressable market (TAM), unlock new revenue streams, and establish a global footprint is tempting. But while some businesses make it look easy, others spend years (and millions) trying to gain traction, only to realise too late that their approach isn’t working.

Why? Often, the issue is a misguided “copy and paste” strategy.

The Risks of a "Copy and Paste" Approach

It's easy to assume that what worked in your home market will work elsewhere. If you’ve built a successful business in the US, the UK, or another established market, it’s natural to believe that your product, positioning, and go-to-market strategy can be rolled out as-is. But that assumption often leads to costly mistakes.

For one, there’s the issue of differentiation. In your home market, your product or service might be unique, solving a problem in a way that no one else does. But in a new country, you might find yourself up against well-established local players who already have strong customer relationships and a deep understanding of regional needs. If you’re not offering something that’s clearly better or different, why would customers switch?

Then there’s product-market fit. Customer pain points, buying behaviours, and expectations vary massively between regions. What customers value in one market might not resonate in another. Take Nium, for example. When expanding into Latin America, they didn’t just assume their global model would work. They recognised the dominance of Brazil’s Pix payment system and adapted their product to integrate with it, making them instantly more relevant to local businesses and consumers. Companies that fail to do this often struggle to gain adoption because their product feels “foreign” rather than essential.

Partnerships and distribution are another major factor. Your customers don’t just use your product in isolation; they rely on a broader ecosystem of apps, platforms, and service providers. If your solution doesn’t integrate seamlessly into that ecosystem, it becomes an uphill battle to drive adoption. Shift4 understood this well in their international expansion, acquiring Global Blue to gain a foothold in luxury retail payments. Rather than trying to build their own way into the market from scratch, they recognised the importance of aligning with an existing player that already had local expertise and infrastructure.

And, of course, there’s regulation. Every market has its own set of rules that impact how financial services and technology companies can operate - from licensing requirements to data privacy laws and pricing structures. Getting this wrong can slow down your expansion or, in some cases, make it impossible to compete effectively.

Getting Expansion Right

The temptation to take a “fail fast and adapt” approach is understandable, but in international expansion, failing fast is often just failing expensively. Once you’ve hired staff, applied for licenses, customised your product, and launched in a new market, it’s far harder (and more costly) to make fundamental changes to your strategy.

A better approach? Do the work upfront. Invest in customer, market and competitor insights that help you understand the competitive landscape, customer expectations, and regulatory challenges before you commit major resources. Adapt your proposition, messaging, and go-to-market strategy to fit the nuances of each new market. And most importantly, recognise that international expansion isn’t just about rolling out your existing playbook, it’s about building a new one for every market you enter.

When done right, international growth can be transformative. But success isn’t just about moving fast, it’s about moving smart.