By 2040, it’s estimated that 95% of all purchases will be done through eCommerce, so it’s safe to say that the future of shopping will be based on the internet. While there are many reasons for the success of eCommerce, the biggest one is that it allows for worldwide shopping.
By 2040, it’s estimated that 95% of all purchases will be done through eCommerce, so it’s safe to say that the future of shopping will be based on the internet. While there are many reasons for the success of eCommerce, the biggest one is that it allows for worldwide shopping.
But you can’t just create an online store and expect to get shoppers from all corners of the world. If you want to be successful in multiple markets, you need to adapt to different languages, cultural specificities, local interests, and much more.
And you can do that if you learn how to master localization.
Make sure your pages are translated spotlessly
One of the biggest issues online retailers deal with when it comes to localization is the sheer amount of languages different consumers speak. After all, there are more than 7000 languages spoken today, and you can’t expect everyone who visits your website to speak English.
Even though English is a popular and widely spoken language, some of your website visitors will still prefer to see the site in their native language. Regardless of whether they speak English or not, most people would still prefer to shop from a website that is translated into their native language.
While it will take a lot of time and effort to ensure your pages are translated spotlessly, this is still a crucial step in your localization strategy.
There are three different approaches to translating a webpage you can choose from:
- Human translation. This is the most accurate way to translate a web page and the addition of the human touch comes with its own benefits. Human translators understand the context and can adapt to tones while being creative. However, this method is very time-consuming and expensive.
- Machine translation. Back in 2017, Google expanded the use of AI-powered translation to include more languages and it keeps getting better every day. Machine translation is much quicker and cheaper than human translation, but it has lower accuracy and isn’t suitable for all projects.
- Machine-translation post-editing. This is a combination of the previous two approaches and it involves using machine translation and human editing to improve accuracy.
All of these options come with their own pros and cons. And if you want to learn the ins and outs of how to translate a web page and choose the best approach, you will need to assess your specific needs and opt for the one that best meets them.
Have a good understanding of different markets
If you want to gain the attention of audiences from multiple markets, you need to learn how to talk to them properly. Just like there are different cultures and languages, there are different approaches to online shopping in various countries.
For example, a marketing strategy that is greatly successful in the US might be a complete failure in Spain. To truly be successful in multiple local markets, you need to have an understanding of them.
The point isn’t to try to control everything in the market you understand and make others bend to your will. Instead, you need to take advantage of all the assets you have at your disposal and learn how to set the groundwork in each region where you’re trying to sell.
If you can, build relationships with locals from these markets and find out what your target audience might be interested in. But if that’s not possible, even a Google search can help you tremendously.
Thorough market research can tell you what products are needed in different markets, what advertising channels and campaigns you should use, and much more. And don’t forget to do research on local competitors to assess all of their strengths and weaknesses and learn from them.
Think about storefront localization
When it comes to your storefront, here are the most important localization steps you need to take:
- Language translation. While we already mentioned this, it’s important to underline the importance of showing all your web pages in the visitor’s native language.
- Color association. This isn’t something a lot of people pay attention to, but it’s important to keep in mind that colors have various associations and meanings in different cultures. Before you settle on a color, consider whether it is appropriate for a specific market.
- Currency. Localization doesn’t mean a lot if you don’t show prices in local currencies. So, you need to use the right currency symbols and show the prices in the accurate value that corresponds with the current exchange rate. After all, nobody wants to do math while shopping.
Be aware of the pitfalls
Localization comes with a plethora of benefits and it’s absolutely necessary if you want to harness the full power of eCommerce. But on the other hand, there are numerous pitfalls you need to be aware of.
Here are some of them:
- Expanding text. When text is translated, it will probably occupy a different amount of space than the original text, which is why you always need to leave room on your website for expansion.
- Inadequate market research. As we already pointed out, meticulous market research is extremely important in localization. If you miss even a few details, all of your hard work will be for nothing.
- The problem with casual and colloquial language. If you use a lot of casual and colloquial language in your original text, when you translate it, it will probably lose a lot of the original meaning and become nonsensical.
Fortunately enough, all of these pitfalls can be easily avoided as long as you know what to pay attention to.
Final thoughts
The world of eCommerce is expanding at a rapid pace and soon enough, the entire world will buy most goods and services online. If you want to succeed in the eCommerce game, you need to have a localization strategy that ensures you will be relevant in all the markets you’re interested in.
Press Release Distributed by The Express Wire
To view the original version on The Express Wire visit 4 Proven Steps to Mastering eCommerce Localization in 2022
