Localization – now more important than ever in e-commerce

The e-commerce industry has witnessed an almost unbelievable growth spurt in the pandemic years, with more people turning to online shopping for convenience, safety, and accessibility than ever before.

And isn’t it a wonderful thing – you can sell to global customers practically in an instant. They get on the webstore, navigate to desired products, add to basket, they pay, you ship the order and repeat the process.

However, selling to global customers seems to come with one apparent barrier: the language barrier. It turns out that the language plays a vital role in e-commerce: when consumers shop online, they want to feel comfortable and confident in their understanding of product description, prices and payment methods. Catering to global customers in their native language has become a crucial factor in driving sales.

According to statistics, 75 % of the world population does not speak English. In other words, you have this huge percentage of online shoppers that prefer to simply buy in their native language. Offering website content in the customer’s native language has become close to mandatory nowadays.

In-house translation or localization?

This is where localization steps in. Simply translating word for word is just not enough. You need to ensure that the content is culturally appropriate for your targeted audience. You need to adapt your content to the local market, to use region-specific vocabulary, cultural references, and local currency.

Not long ago, it wasn’t unusual for big companies to use in-house teams to translate the website content in the language of the newest markets entered. Today, that would be a disaster. The lack of terminology and cultural know-how can break the new entry into a fast downfall. Taking your online store content and personalizing it for a different market is the key to your success in that market.

Competitive advantage

Localization will create that seamless shopping experience for the new customers and will eliminate the language barrier that may hinder the purchasing process. Recent research has shown that localization can increase online sales by up to 400%. Now, that’s a number to keep in mind.

The competitive advantage of accurately translating your website with in-country localization can be a challenging task that requires expertise and cultural knowledge. This is where a professional translation company comes in. Tailoring both your product and content to the customers’ unique needs will give you the competitive edge.

Easier customization

A translation company cand provide fast and accurate translations, all while encompassing the culturally relevancy and the correct usage of terminology to drive your webstore to fewer cart abandonments.

Studies have shown that localization in e-commerce cand result in conversion rates up to 15% higher and customer satisfaction rates that soar to 20% and higher. Location based personalization is the effective way to improve customer experience while also increasing sales. It turns out to be the most powerful tool for you to use when tapping into the global market.

Businesses need a translation partner that can keep up with changing technology for optimal results. Choose wisely. Choose Publitrad.