Foolproof E-commerce Content Localization Strategy to Go Global

It all starts from the basics—the homepage, which essentially is your e-commerce endeavour’s business card and the first content hub any cold audience will land on before jumping into the funnel to become a lead or customer. It goes without saying that after thoroughly localizing the homepage, all other category and product pages, including all product descriptions and brand content, also need to be tackled.

Additionally, e-commerce managers and marketers often overlook very important pieces of content such as legal documentation, the terms and conditions, the about us page, delivery information, FAQs, information about the payment options, customs or VATs, contact forms, returns and warranty guidelines, order status, the privacy policy, etc. A thorough e-commerce content localization strategy would entail prioritizing these exact texts just as much as the storefront marketing content, as these represent the basic knowledge shoppers would most likely tap into before making up their minds about a purchase.

The shopping cart and the entire checkout flow, including all notifications, validation and error messages, input placeholders, tooltip messages, information on VAT and any other applicable taxes and charges, discounts, gift card and coupon content, as well as the CTA buttons (Calls to Action), such as ‘Pay’, ‘Confirm’, ‘Go to Checkout’, ‘Place Order’, are also very important elements that require localization, particularly as they convey direct calls to action, as well as relevant next steps guiding the entire user journey, from consideration to conversion.

After the e-commerce exact text localization hurdle has been cleared, the ‘magic’ truly starts to unfold, with all marketing and PR related content, such a customer-facing communication, newsletters, push notifications, banners, special offer prompts, in-video content, and last but certainly not least, creative and informational blogs. Depending on geography, locale, and e-commerce industry, the more thorough the e-commerce marketing content localization is, the better results it will yield in the long run, in order to compellingly deliver a message, offer, or incentive for purchase.

This roughly translates into nailing what consumers want and need when browsing your e-commerce platform in a specific target region and what the relevant level of formality or directness is with which to approach them within the localized versions of your e-commerce platform.

According to a Harvard Business Review article presenting the results of a Common Sense Advisory survey conducted on a sample of 2,430 web consumers in eight countries: 72.4% of consumers said they are more inclined to purchase a product with information in their own language, while 56.2% of consumers mentioned that having direct access to information in their own language or desired tone of voice is more important than even price.

The Japanese market is by far one of the most relevant examples of why understanding the specificity of the target markets for your e-commerce content localization success is so important.

According to Statista, Japan ranks third in terms of GDP (gross domestic product), having the third-largest consumer market in the world (worldbank.org).

However, the biggest challenge in penetrating the Japanese market is understanding the cultural background and etiquette, in comparison to Western standards, in order to optimally render your e-commerce content localization. Due to their English proficiency being amongst the lowest in the world, Japanese audiences gravitate towards a localized e-commerce experience, which inherently needs to reflect the level of formality standardly employed in their society—such as the use of keigo, or the formal form of written or spoken discourse.

Ticking all the relevant boxes of an e-commerce localization strategy may not be the easiest task to achieve, but the results are certainly worth it in the long run. If you are serious about engaging your customers with your site and giving them a truly localized experience from start to finish, your customers are more likely to come back for more and recommend your website to others.

Depending on the e-commerce platform you’re using, adjusting your approach to localization through a tailored customer service journey with the help of developers, e-commerce marketers and sales strategists will certainly pay dividends. Establishing localized e-commerce live chats or email support systems delivered in the client’s languages will not only provide streamlined customer service, but also instil trust and improve the CRR (customer return rate) for target audiences who prefer to consume e-commerce content in their own language.