Online business will be the future of the retail industry. Don’t believe me? Well, here is a stat that may change your opinion. According to Nasdaq’s findings, 95% of purchases will be online or via e-commerce by 2040.
Also, the world is turning into a global village. Thanks to the rapid advancement of digital technology we have today. So, if you dream of taking your business beyond your country’s boundaries, here is the deal for you.
Go online if you haven’t yet. And the second thing – go for ecommerce localization and not translation, for your online store. Confused?
Well, there is a difference between ecommerce localization and simple translation. Stay tuned to find that out.
Ecommerce Localization v/s Ecommerce Translation
People most often use the word localization and translation interchangeably when it comes to ecommerce. Well, they are similar but not the same.
Think of it this way:
Every localized site is a translated site but every translated site may not be necessarily a localized site.
Let’s dig deeper to know more.
Ecommerce localization is the adaptation of your online store to a foreign language and culture. It doesn’t mean translating just the content on your site. Ideally, your localized online store should have content tailored to your target region’s culture.
On the other hand, translation is simply translating the content into your target language without considering your target market’s cultural aspects and local norms.
Why Ecommerce Localization Matters – Importance and Benefits
Put yourself in your target audience’s shoes. Would you like to view your favorite site in French if you are an Australian? You won’t. So, the same thing holds for your target country’s audience. They will prefer to view your site in their native language – and not yours. Hence the concept of ecommerce localization!
Benefits of Ecommerce Localization
- Helps Penetrate into Local Markets Better
Ecommerce localization gives you an edge over the other non-native brands eying a target country. You can give a tough competition to local e-retailers by localizing your store well. You can also localize your branding across various channels and appeal to local customers better. This way, you can take your customers’ localized experience up a notch.
- Helps Build Trust and Increase Visibility
As per CSA’s survey, 60% of over 3000 global customers surveyed in 10 non-English speaking countries including Brazil, China, France, Germany, Indonesia, Japan, etc. rarely buy anything from English-only e-stores. It means that you can miss out on a big opportunity to tap into non-English speaking countries without ecommerce localization.
That is why, by localizing your e-store for different languages – especially other than English; you can widen your growth opportunities. When customers notice your efforts to localize their shopping experience, it will compel them to return the favor by showing loyalty to your brand. It will build trust in your target customers and attract higher repeat sales over time.
- Decrease in Customer Support Issues
At times, customer support issues are nothing but the result of miscommunication. The customer may misinterpret or miss any information in the product description or visuals. As a result, they may end up buying a product only to face issues later. You can reduce these instances dramatically with ecommerce localization.
When all the elements of your e-store are culturally and linguistically accurate, your customers are less likely to miss or misinterpret something. Besides, if you hire a customer support agent who knows their native language, it can be a cherry on top.
If you localize reviews on your site, they can work magic for your store. This is because local customers like to see positive reviews in their native language and of their use case. Localized reviews accelerate the process of decision-making by letting them verify the validity of a product’s usability.
Best Practices to Follow for Ecommerce Localization
- Adhere to the Local Rules and Norms
Be a Roman when in Rome. There is a difference in cultures of different countries. Learn the local communication ethics and rules prior to ecommerce localization. You should know the way to address your customers on your website based on your target market.
For instance, informal tone is quite acceptable in the West. On the other hand, the East may prefer a more formal tone of interaction on your website. Further, Western countries are generally more liberal and open to various topics including sensitive ones (homosexuality, atheism, etc.) as well. On the contrary, certain countries of the world – especially in the Middle-East may not find your posts with such references pleasing.
So, respect the conservative sensibilities.
- Don’t Ignore Social Media
Some professionals make a mistake of underestimating the power of localized experience on social media. Localizing your site isn’t enough. Social media is one of the most efficient digital marketing channels for marketing purposes, but it’s often overlooked. If you don’t localize your social media accounts to resonate with your target audience, ecommerce localization is incomplete. One way of easily reaching your target audience is to invest in respective growth services for different social media platforms.
- Leverage Localized User-Generated Content
For around 9 in 10 customers, an online review is important for them. 72% say that positive reviews increase their trust in a brand. This implies that you should display your customers’ reviews in your target audience’s language to make it work.
It means, if a customer is Spanish, they must be able to view and submit reviews in Spanish.
- Tap into the Local Festival Shopping Sale around the World
The more you tap into local festivals, the higher are the chances of customers relating to your brand. While some festivals like Christmas, Eid, Black Friday, Holi, etc. are global phenomena; every country has its own unique festivals.
For example, Carnival in Italy and Brazil and La Tomatina in Spain are highly popular. So, ensure to make the most of these special festival seasons in your target countries. Localize your marketing efforts, marketing content, and even offerings to interest your customers. If required, hire a local marketing expert to help you build the best marketing strategy for festivals.
- Localize Your Mobile App
Mobile shopping is no longer a far-fetched talk. In fact, mobile commerce sales are forecast to touch $3.56 tn in 2021. So, don’t restrict your ecommerce localization only to your website. Expand it to your mobile app as well. Before publishing, check for any errors in intended translation and see to it that the final translation is completely error-free.
- Process Payments in Local Currencies
Enable your customers to pay for anything they buy in their own currency. Integrate the feature of currency conversion in your shopping cart and checkout page to localize shopping experience.
Say YES to Ecommerce Localization – Get Ahead of the Curve
Now that you know how valuable ecommerce localization is for your business, it is high time you set it right. By following localization best practices for your ecommerce website, your sales can skyrocket.
If you are looking for an easy way to localize your online store, our Magento 2 Language Translator can be the right fit for you. It has got WYSIWYG editor, database search and translate, instant translations, mass translate, and all the other features you seek in a language translation plugin.
You can get a live demo, and reach out to us to integrate the extension with your store!
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