eCommerce Localization: Baby Steps

In addition to China, there are other marketplaces worldwide to consider for eCommerce localization. Brazil, Japan, Germany, France, and Canada are markets that are growing in eCommerce revenue. I can’t stress enough the importance of working with in-country translators for proper localization. If you’re going to invest in doing this, you have to do it the right way. If you are targeting Canada, you must localize your content into Canadian French. You can’t expect a Canadian French speaking consumer to appreciate and buy your product if it is not localized accurately for his/her market. Google Translate is an even worse option. Without having a professional translator work on your content, you are at risk for embarrassing translations that simply do not make sense. Especially if you are going into a new market, you may have one chance to make a lasting impression. The last thing you want to do is offend any potential client. Some of the largest companies in the world have made embarrassing localization mistakes because they did not do their homework when localizing their marketing materials. All it takes is finding the right partner and taking the time to fully research how to accurately get your message across.

One important thing to keep in mind as you work on growing globally: eCommerce localization is profitable in its own time, it’s an investment. You can’t expect a flourishing bottom line just because you’re branching out, nor can you expect the same number of clients, purchases, and profits internationally that you’re currently seeing domestically, at least not right away. While there can be many countries that are appealing to sell to, sometimes a phased approach works best. You need to crawl before you walk as they say! I recommend starting with the major markets in which your data is showing that sufficient interest exists for your product, and consider eCommerce localization to communicate with potential consumers in that geography in their native language as the first starting point.

eCommerce localization yields great results when done correctly, but it isn’t going to happen overnight. Have patience, prioritize, and take the time to make the right decisions.

One of my eCommerce clients, PuffCuff, sells in over 40 countries worldwide. Since Brazil was a large market for PuffCuff, for localization purposes their prioritization was to partner with Interpro to localize their eCommerce website into Brazilian Portuguese. This was the initial language of choice to appeal to consumers in this market in their native language. This also included translating text that appears in demonstration videos, in addition to product packaging. The Brazilian Portuguese website is now live, and provides detailed product and how-to-use information to Brazilian Portuguese speakers