Ecommerce will account for 24.5% of global retail sales by 2025. It’s more important than ever for businesses to offer the same levels of customer experience online as in-store, including for international customers. The key is ecommerce localization.
Is ecommerce localization important?
40% of customers simply won’t buy in another language. Those that will buy in another language have varying levels of competency, making the buying journey difficult. Clearly, translation is important.
However, that’s not enough to create a great user experience.
The text might be in the right language for a customer, but having the wrong images, payment methods, and tone of voice can be jarring. Retailers miss the mark as branding has a different impact in different regions, while customers don’t have the same types of experiences.
Ecommerce localization can fix this issue, adapting content so that it resonates with audiences in different locations.
What should an ecommerce localization strategy include?
- Region-specific sites
Visitors from different regions may speak the same language, but that doesn’t mean they should visit the same version of the website. For example, a visitor from Mexico and Spain may not share the same:
– Cultural references
– Preferences for products
– Style of communication (e.g., what is considered polite)
– Currency
– Exact vocabulary
– Shipping costs/taxes on products
Making your store engaging means catering to these preferences and needs. For example, Amazon.com.mx shows a widget called hecho en Mexico (made in Mexico) which isn’t displayed on Amazon.es.
Meanwhile, los màs vendidos (most popular products page) shows the categories in different orders for the two countries and the top products differ. This way, customers see products that are relevant to them, wherever they’re based.
Sending customers to the right version of your website can seem quite technical, but ecommerce localization specialists can help you implement the right changes.
- Local currency, prices, payment methods
Your customers want transactions to be simple. Offering them the chance to pay in local currencies, via local payment methods, helps them buy easily and creates a local feel to your store.
These prices also need to be correct for the region, including shipping costs and taxes.
47% of consumers say having local market presence was a significant factor when it comes to choosing which brands they shop from (Shopify).
This is also true for login details. Airbnb grew its Chinese customer base by an amazing 700%, simply by letting people log in through WeChat or Weibo.
- The right visuals
Images don’t have universal meanings. Sometimes an image that’s appropriate for one country, might be offensive in another. This is also true for colors, layout, and navigation, which may need to be adjusted to suit the languages and cultures of certain regions.
Keeping this in mind when creating a storefront will help you engage your customers, catering to their preferences.
- Showing interesting products
Are all your products available in all regions? If not, think about showing only those that customers can buy to avoid frustration.
Likewise, certain items are likely to be a bigger hit with customers in certain locations. Working out what your customers like will help you to show relevant, personalized items, driving sales.
- Multilingual SEO and marketing
About 53% of all trackable website traffic is sourced from organic search (BrightEdge). But if you haven’t optimized your store in your customers’ languages, how will they find you?
Implementing multilingual search engine optimization strategies will help you stay visible, target the right audience, and boost sales.
Future Group – Ecommerce localization specialists
Our ecommerce localization team includes language experts and technical specialists, working to the highest standards. Let us know how we can help.