Introduction

In 2023, global retail e-commerce sales rose to $6.5 trillion worldwide. That is expected to reach $8.2 trillion by 2026. E-Commerce website translation helps you tap into global audiences without needing physical stores.  

How can you ensure that your online store is optimised for multilingual markets to achieve the sales you’re looking for? The answer: e-commerce localization. Go a step further than language translations for e-commerce and localize your content as well.

What is E-Commerce Localization? 

E-commerce localization means making an online store fit the language, culture, and preferences of people in a specific area. This customization includes adjusting the content, interface, and user experience. It helps to make the online shopping experience more appealing and relevant to customers in that area.

The aim is to create a shopping experience that feels natural and familiar to users from various regions. This goes beyond simply translating the website. The goal is to make users feel at home while shopping, regardless of where they are located.  

The focus is on creating a seamless and personalized experience for all users. It considers factors like local customs, values, payment methods, and even legal regulations. This method not only increases user trust and engagement, but also boosts the likelihood of successful transactions and repeat visits.  

ECommerce localization makes it easy for people all over the world to use and shop on a retail website. It feels like they are shopping on a local website. This includes elements such as product descriptions, pricing, images, and shopping cart functionality.

What Are the Benefits of E-Commerce Localization? 

You may think content translation is enough to satisfy customers, but providing a truly customized experience goes a long way. Here are some long-term benefits of investing in e-commerce localization services:

• Gain customer loyalty: A CSA report found that 65% of consumers prefer content in their language. If you speak their language, they are more likely to come back to you in the future. 
• Easily scale your business: You can grow your business in fewer steps than if you were to physically integrate into a new environment. 
• Increase revenue and market share: As you establish your place in a new market, you gain a competitive advantage and increase sales and overall ROI. 
• Improve SEO: increase your search presence and engage in multilingual SEO to help new customers find you when they search in their language. 

When Should You Localize? 

It can be hard to decide when to grow your business as you always need to assess risk. You also need to decide if there is a demand for your business in a new market.  

While localization is the perfect first step in a global expansion plan because it requires low global integration, you still need to make sure you have an audience in the new market. So, when should you localize your e-commerce website? 

1. Diverse Website Traffic: Examine your e-commerce platform's user analytics. If you spot traffic from areas without established customers, it's a sign to think about localization. Begin by tailoring content for these regions and track user interaction. 
2. Identified Product Demand: Imagine you offer eco-friendly attire. When an alternate market demonstrates an uptick in interest for such items, it's a hint to expand there. Since you've ascertained the appetite for your goods, it's time to delve deeper into that market. 
3. Considering Physical Stores Elsewhere: Witnessing an uptick in business? Thinking about a new storefront? If finances allow, before jumping into a physical outlet, try introducing a digital counterpart in the desired location. Successful online ventures can lead to expanded distribution channels and heightened earnings. 

What Should You Localize?

Social media 

Around 75% of global internet users use social media to research brands. Additionally, 71% of consumers who have had a positive experience with a brand on social media are likely to recommend the brand to their friends and family. 

Creating a local social media page for your brand is a great way to create relationships with local buyers. They will have a positive perception of your brand and will be more likely to make a purchase and recommend you to others. The content you publish on these accounts will have to be localized, but a professional e-commerce translation service will be able to handle the job easily. 

Pricing and Payment 

By providing currency options tailored to the user’s region or country, customers avoid the hassle of currency conversion and can concentrate on completing their online purchase.  

This method helps decrease the amount of abandoned shopping carts. Specifically, 16% of shoppers will leave their carts if they can’t easily see the total cost of their order.

Product Information 

Localize your product descriptions and reviews to create a more optimized experience for customers in different countries. Localization helps you offer an accurate description of the product in the customer's native language and ensures that there's no room for misunderstanding. 

Additionally, presenting product feedback in the customer's native language fosters more trust in what you offer. A significant 73% of consumers prefer reviews in their language, assuring them of the product's quality and boosting their shopping confidence. 

Customer Support 

Customer support is one of the most important parts of any e-commerce retail business. Your customers need to feel like you care, and strong customer support will keep them coming back time after time. 

Make sure your multilingual users have access to shipping and return policies, payment information, contact information, chatbots, terms and conditions, etc. The buyer journey doesn’t end with a purchase; you must take care of them to make sure they want to continue to think of you as a good resource for their needs. 

3 Best Practices for E-Commerce Localization 

1. Optimize for mobile 

In 2023, mobile shopping accounted for $491 billion of e-commerce sales. This surge is attributed to consumers’ habits of researching items, contrasting prices, immersing themselves in augmented reality, and finalizing purchases via their mobiles.

For businesses, enhancing the mobile user journey by reducing barriers can lead to increased sales conversions. 

2. Be mindful of cultural and regional nuances 

Global outreach demands more than just translating website content. Recognizing linguistic standards, cultural peculiarities, and specific regional traits of your clientele is paramount for a stellar user experience. This involves focusing on naming norms, date configurations, and currency appearances, ensuring your platform remains culturally synchronized. 

Working with a localization expert like MotionPoint can be pivotal. We goes a step further than standard translation, encapsulating the context, emotion, and intention behind words, ensuring content retains its essence during translation. 

3. Comply with local regulations 

Taking a business to international markets without understanding the local laws and regulations can have consequences. Thorough due diligence is crucial before a product rollout.  

Consumer laws, data protection rules, and intellectual property rights can be complex. It’s a good idea to work with a local lawyer when making changes in different regions. This is especially important when considering the U.S. consumption tax.

Localize with MotionPoint 

There aren’t many international e-commerce solutions that can handle a successful localization project, but MotionPoint has the technology and expertise to help you thrive in new markets. In 2022, the retail industry invested $2.7B in professional language services, and there's a good reason for that! 

Your team won't have the time or resources to handle all the aspects of an e-commerce localization project. Luckily, the MotionPoint Platform uses the best technology in the industry to make the process seamless, cost-efficient, and stress-free.