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Businesses of all kinds have been forced to assess their e-commerce strategies following a dramatic global shift towards online commerce in recent years. Customers want a customized customer experience (CX) tailored to meet their requirements across touchpoints.
Businesses looking to successfully compete across multiple regions simultaneously require careful preparation in order to remain cost-competitive and stand out amongst a sea of vendors competing for customer attention on every online marketplace.
Your localization strategy for an e-commerce company must encompass everything from marketing and UX translation, IT procedures and multilingual customer support this article will show you every step along the way.
What Is Ecommerce Localization?
The process of tailoring online shopping experiences from e-commerce websites and shopping applications to customer service and marketing campaigns to the unique cultural tastes of customers in various areas is known as e-commerce localization.
Localizing e-commerce comprises:
- Content localization
- UI localization
- Localizing UX involves changing things like payment methods, delivery choices, features, user journeys, and more.
- Customer service localization offering support in local languages
- Marketing localization, etc.
To put it simply, e-commerce localization is what makes sure you can conduct business across cultural barriers in multiple markets. Your target market is more likely to make a purchase, return for more, and refer your goods or services to others when they can easily navigate and interact with your e-commerce platform. Conversely, suppose customers believe that you don't understand them or their demands. In that case, they can select a competition with only a single click.
If a business disregards e-commerce localization, it may have problems like these:
- A high number of customer service issues
- Shopping cart abandonment
- Low conversion rates
- Low net promoter score (NPS) and customer satisfaction (CSAT)
Reduced website trafficThe largest online retailers have long recognized the value of localizing their products. For instance, Amazon has made significant investments in a Rural India strategy that entails, among other localization initiatives, creating a whole logistics network from the ground up to serve the 800 million customers with disposable money who reside in rural areas and are challenging to reach both linguistically and logistically.
In India, Amazon is localizing its e-commerce to include:
- Modifying its app to function on low-cost smartphones
- Thousands of product descriptions in the Indian language have been added.
- Making videos for the non-literate
- Establishing actual Amazon learning centers to serve clients who aren't accustomed to buying online
- Taking payment in cash upon delivery
- Locating warehouses in proximity to rural areas
- Utilizing tiny businesses as package depots to reach clients in remote locations
Amazon India's localization efforts have paid off handsomely, as seen by a 49% increase in revenue. E-commerce localization isn't reserved for well-funded large companies, though. If businesses of all sizes succeed with e-commerce localization, they can achieve worldwide expansion.
While Creating A Localization Strategy, What Should You Take Into Account?
Your Target Markets
Understanding your target markets' languages and cultural preferences in order to localize products and services successfully can ensure successful outcomes. Knowing who the audience you wish to connect with ensures effective localization efforts that engage and satisfy.
What are the rates of internet penetration, buying preferences, and purchasing power of your clientele? Once you know this information, create an e-commerce localization strategy specific to each area in which they live.
Language(s), culture, habits, norms and expectations in any region must all be clearly understood prior to commencing work in it; market research studies, surveys, focus groups or interviews can all serve this purpose effectively.
Your Objectives
Establishing specific objectives for your localization endeavors is vitally important when setting approaches. What are your company's objectives within that area, or for an e-commerce localization strategy plan, what goals would be worthwhile pursuing?
Increased sales, enhanced brand identity and bettering the customer experience are goals worth striving for when localizing an e-commerce storefront. You can ensure your efforts are efficient and focused by clearly setting objectives that define what should be accomplished from localization efforts.
Your Resources
Resources Before initiating any translation work, it's essential that you evaluate what resources will be necessary to carry out your plan successfully. Do you possess all of the means needed for entering new markets, and if not how do these funds get acquired?
Resources could include funds, staff members and technology. By taking an inventory of these available assets, it will enable you to ensure you have everything necessary for successful implementation of a translation strategy; otherwise you risk becoming overextended and not providing clients with adequate assistance across every market.
Your Competitors
As you create a localization strategy, keep competitors' efforts in mind when devising it. Are they ahead or behind in terms of localizing? No company can expect to enter an unfamiliar market without developing an intentional regional plan and understanding its culture if their rivals already possess such skills and knowhow.
Acknowledging the strategies employed by your competitors could help you pinpoint where to concentrate your efforts in order to maintain competitive edge and remain ahead.
Crafting an E-commerce Localization Strategy may seem complicated and daunting at first. Yet, it is absolutely vital if you wish to compete in today's globalized economy. By taking into consideration several relevant factors you can create a strategy which helps reach target markets while meeting business goals more quickly and successfully.
Also Read: E-commerce Trends: Are You Ready for the $4.9 Trillion Impact on Your Industry?
What Constitutes A Localization Strategy For Ecommerce?
Websites and apps receive the most attention when it comes to eCommerce localization, but there are other crucial touchpoints to take into account as well. Localizing physical products, social media, and email marketing can all enhance the consumer experience.
The top 5 methods for creating an e-commerce localization strategy are shown below.
Accounting For Cultural Differences
Cultural considerations must always be kept at the forefront when entering new markets, making adjustments that reflect local holidays or use alternative measurement units, using local language when possible and refraining from providing any offensive material that might offend local populations.
Localization strategies are one of the best ways to create an individualized shopping experience; in fact, 80% of potential customers are more likely to make a purchase when they feel valued as individuals.
As an example, certain cultures require modest clothing options while more revealing options might be more accepted in others. It would help if you tailored goods and product visuals accordingly based on local tastes; local partners who can assist in successfully traversing cultural barriers are vital.
Customizing The Product Itself
Readjusting ingredients, packaging and labeling of a product to better align it with local market needs may be necessary in order to create something appropriate. 83% of consumers state that images play the main influencer role when making purchasing decisions; even subtle aesthetic adjustments could have significant positive results on purchase decisions.
For instance, when selling clothes, you must adapt their fit or size accordingly to fit different body types in their market area. Furthermore, to suit regional tastes, you could alter flavor profiles or ingredients of culinary products accordingly.
Translating The Content
A survey conducted by CSA Research discovered that even when content quality wasn't ideal, 65% of consumers preferred viewing it in their native tongue - product reviews and customer service are particularly valued here. Furthermore, 40% won't purchase from websites not written in their mother tongue.
When creating a localization plan, it's essential to take into account more than simply translation: goals and significance of content as well as how different cultural groups will interpret it are all essential considerations. Even an excellent copywriting job might not make sense in another culture.
Translate translations of calls-to-action, product descriptions, navigation bars, website copy, and even error messages so they make sense within their local context rather than simply translating word for word. If feasible and available resources exist to do so.
Localized Payment Options and Prices
Global purchasing power varies significantly and what could be seen as inexpensive in one nation may be considered luxurious in another, necessitating research to establish pricing points appropriate to individual markets. Displaying prices in local currencies is one of the easiest adjustments you can make.
Imagine this: an Indian buyer might enjoy reading content written in English, but they may turn elsewhere if the costs don't include rupee prices. Additionally, it's advisable to offer various payment methods depending on where the business operates. For instance, in China, WeChat Pay and Alipay are more widely utilized than credit cards.
Localize The Customer Journey And User Interface
Customer interactions are established via user interface design; how can this interface be modified for localization purposes? A few effective strategies to localize include:
- Translating content.
- Using images and videos sourced locally.
- Changing color palettes as necessary.
- Improving design aesthetics.
Consider each step in the consumer journey from awareness through acquisition in your e-commerce localization approach and ensure it fits. Influencer marketing may prove more successful at raising awareness in certain nations while referral programs could prove more fruitful in others.
Conclusion
For businesses to experience sustainable global success and growth, effective localization strategies for their e-commerce apps must be employed across numerous geographies. Businesses may increase consumer engagement, increase conversions, and foster brand loyalty by adapting an app's language, content, and user experience to each region's tastes and cultural norms. By keeping up-to-date with market trends, customer preferences, and competitor activity regularly monitoring market activity is vital in staying ahead of localization initiatives and continually adapting them for success. Relying on alliances with regional influencers and targeted advertising initiatives to boost brand recognition and legitimacy can further expand e-commerce app client bases, expand client lists, and gain entry to global marketplaces by prioritizing localization as an integral component of their overall strategy.
