Quote Currency and Freight: Conversion Rate Optimisation for Vietnamese Exporters

Key Insights

• Tell overseas buyers which currency the quote will use and where the supplier's freight responsibility begins and ends.
• Ask for quantity and destination at the point where those answers change the price or the information sales needs to prepare it.
• Track the share of enquiries sales can price without another exchange over standard commercial details.

Two requests for the same component land in the export inbox. One gives an order quantity and asks for a price with freight to a named port. The other says “please quote” and includes a product code. Sales has to ask where the goods are going, how many the buyer needs and whether the buyer wants a goods price or a freight-inclusive figure. By the time those questions are answered, both buyers may already be comparing offers.

Some of that correspondence starts with the page. A request form that says nothing about quote currency or freight leaves buyers to infer what's on offer. A form that asks for every possible shipping detail before they know whether the supplier can help presents the opposite problem. Conversion rate optimisation can resolve both by explaining the basis of the quote early and letting the offer determine the questions.

Put the quote currency where the buyer can see it

Place the currency and pricing basis next to the enquiry action. If your export team quotes in US dollars, say USD. If the buyer can choose a currency, show the options your team can actually honour. A currency selector has commercial consequences if finance uses a different pricing basis or the sales team can issue formal quotes only in certain currencies.

Apply the same wording to any indicative prices shown on the page. For example, a price for one carton in USD should be recognisable as a carton price, with the relevant order band or other condition alongside it. Where the site displays a converted estimate, explain which currency will appear on the quote and who will confirm the final amount. A buyer who carries a converted figure into an internal comparison needs to understand what the supplier can commit to.

When a business has separate domestic and export acquisition routes, inspect both entry points. An overseas buyer can still arrive through a shared product page or a Vietnamese-language catalogue. Put the export quote conditions where that buyer makes the request, even if the campaign page already explains them.

State the freight basis before collecting an address

Ask logistics what sales can quote reliably. A supplier may quote goods for collection or carrier handover, offer freight separately when it has a destination and shipment size, or provide freight-inclusive quotes on established routes. Give the buyer the basis that applies to the enquiry and explain which details the team will confirm in its written response.

If the supplier offers an Incoterms® rule, use the precise rule, place or port and edition in the formal quotation, with commercial and logistics owners confirming the wording. The ICC's Incoterms® 2020 explanatory material distinguishes the place of delivery from the destination to which the seller arranges carriage under the C rules. A short phrase such as “freight included” gives a buyer too little information to infer the point of delivery or the scope of charges.

On the page, plain language can explain the part the buyer needs now. If the buyer can nominate their own carrier, state whether the team can price the goods on that basis. If the supplier can arrange freight, explain whether it needs a destination port or a delivery postcode to prepare the estimate. Keep proposed options within the routes the logistics team can actually support.

Let the quote determine the form

Walk through a recent enquiry with someone who prices it. For a product with volume bands or carton multiples, ask for an estimated quantity with the unit visible. Give the buyer room to specify a range if the quantity isn't fixed. If packaging or configuration affects shipment weight or price, ask for the product option that changes the estimate. A field that records nothing sales can act on is a good candidate for removal.

A destination country might be enough to establish service coverage or route an enquiry. A port or postcode might be needed only when the buyer asks for freight to be priced. Put the extra question on that route, label what kind of destination you mean, and retain the answers if the buyer goes back to amend a product selection. Check the form on a phone, where a dropdown filled with irrelevant ports or an address autocomplete that assumes a domestic format can make an otherwise simple request difficult.

Give buyers who are still sizing an order a clear route for a preliminary discussion if the team offers one. That request can go to sales with its status visible. The person who handles it can answer the product question without being expected to produce a formal price from information the buyer doesn't yet have.

Measure the requests sales can work with

Agree a definition with the export team. A ready-to-price request identifies a supported product and gives the order and shipping details that the selected quote basis requires. A product with a complex specification may still need engineering review. Give that review its own status so it stays distinguishable from a missing order quantity or an unsupported destination.

Measure both the rate of ready-to-price requests per relevant landing-page visit and the share of submitted enquiries that reach that state. Review time to first workable quote and reasons for clarification. Keep repeat submissions about the same purchase together, and compare similar markets and product groups if their freight or review requirements differ.

A shorter form may produce more submissions while leaving more work for the export desk. A longer one may produce cleaner records at the cost of legitimate early enquiries. Review both stages and sample real cases before changing the intake again. One recurring missing detail can give you a more precise test than another redesign.

Give Your Conversion Rate Optimisation Agency a Real Export Quote to Work From

Choose one product and an active shipping route. Gather the page the buyer sees, the assumptions sales uses and the questions that come back after submission. Ask Digital Squad to review that quote path with your export team, from the first visible currency and freight terms to a request they can price.