The Boo-Boos of eCommerce Translation & Localization

Fact: - The Global eCommerce market will cross or be very close to $5 trillion mark before the calendar hits 2022. The general opinion says it's going to cross the mark.

So, what do this enormous growth and market size mean? It states that exponential rise in online consumer or customer base. Simultaneously, it also means a significant rise in the already cut-throat market. Now, what makes better websites stand out and have higher conversions – the ease of buying and experience they provide to the customers. One of the most crucial elements of that is eCommerce Website Translation and Localization. Although, by default, English is the lingua franca of the internet but it's not the only one. Especially when the online customer base is constantly rising across all regions of the world. Understand that having your website in English will get you to 25% of the total online population. Although it seems pretty fair, but considering the competition in an already overcrowded place, that’s not enough to cut through the clutter. Now is time to be more localized in order to thrive in the market and excel, particularly in regional markets. Sure, you can give price drops, festive & seasonal discounts to attract more people to your website for the time being, but what about off-seasons? The regular days are not going to be that productive and not attracting repeat customers means not building brand loyalty.

Language is crucial to every business; eCommerce is not an exception. Having a multilingual eCommerce website not only increases the reach but also interacts with customers in their native language or preferred language. At the same time, eCommerce localization helps your website have a bigger bite of the market, making you reach more local businesses and customers; giving more leads and higher conversion rates. Well, localization is not a one-time thing, you cannot just do it once, sit back, relax & see the magic unfold forever. It keeps evolving and updating with time and therefore, there are instances when websites made ‘boo–boos’ with localization. So, let’s check out the mistakes that you must avoid in eCommerce website translation & localization.

Relying on Automated Translation Tools – Automated translations are, for sure, fast but they do not give a very communicative output in translations. In any business, presenting yourself as a communicative and understanding entity is very important to gain customers’ trust and build brand loyalty. Also, you cannot correctly translate idioms, slang, or punch lines from one language to another without making a mess of it, when using automated translations. You need experienced and professional translation services that could translate, edit, and proof your materials and texts to be more connecting and resonating with the visitors.

Not Sorting out IT Challenges – Many think about localizing their eCommerce website, but not many think of the IT-related challenges that are going to arise with it. The stats say about 60% of internet users do not return to websites that have IT-related issues in their first visit. IT issues gradually creep up to the user interface ruining your visitors’ experiences and eluding them away. While converting your website into another language, skip the alphabets, you come across various symbols that are language-specific and might not be in your source language. If the website is not displaying them properly it is hampering the reading process and thus sabotaging the value of your products and services. Having an IT specialist to regulate and monitor the transformation could save you from such problems and add more value to your goods.  

Ignoring Cultural & Linguistic Distinctions – Obviously, the cultural distinction part will come up and you might even be aware of it. However, you might want to dig deeper into the cultural viability of the smallest gestures or signs that you might have on your website. Simple things like a thumbs up that signify all the best or good luck or I am okay is considered offensive in the middle east. Also, a sign like a swastika that is offensive and has a bad history in European and western books, in its different forms is considered to be holy or sacred in Buddhism & Hinduism. The same is the case with the language also. One language, Spanish for say, is spoken differently in different parts of the world. Spanish in Spain varies a lot from Spanish Spoken in Mexico which also differs from Spanish spoken in Argentina. And in case you are targeting a multilingual and multicultural country like India, you might need some hardcore cultural researching and multilingual marketing translation experts.  

Ignoring Metrics, Units, & Multilingual SEO – When localizing your eCommerce website one of the most important aspects is to convert those metrics according to the systems of your target region. Not doing so you could either appear not so friendly or caring about your customers of the region, or your customer will keep guessing prices, for say, of the product they want to buy. Time, date, currencies, even units of measurement matter a lot when it comes to buying online. For example, the common unit used to measure weight in the UK is pounds, but in India it is kilograms. When you translate your website into another language you need to enable it to be found. Not doing multilingual keyword research and optimizing the website with the same you are not visible and missing out on a lot of potential customers.

Translating and localizing your eCommerce website accurately is the need of the hour to survive the competition of the market. You need to provide services to customers in their preferred languages to make them feel that this version of the website is specially designed for them. Also, not to forget, providing customer support in only one language could be a major turn-off. Your customers should be able to communicate with your website in the language they are comfortable in. Localization is a comprehensive approach & therefore should be handled by a professional localization services company. At LanguageNoBar, we cater to all the needs of successful website localization. With our team of professional linguists and technical experts, we provide the most magnificent translation and localization services in more than 150 languages. If wondering why choose us? Simply because we can make your websites communicate, connect, and resonate with your target market.

Related Blog :

5 TIPS TO SELECT THE BEST TRANSLATION AGENCY FOR YOUR PROJECT

5 BEST PRACTICES IN LOCALIZATION OF WEB CONTENT

HOW SOFTWARE LOCALIZATION IS HELPING COMPANIES GO GLOBAL?

Comments