You probably know the following online shopping scenario. After a few minutes of scrolling, you add an item to your basket. Before entering your account information, you check what other customers have said about the product. Would you trust the product review if the review was not written in your native language? Probably not. Language and clear communication create trust.

Consumers’ digital behaviour patterns show that 90% of all online shoppers read a review before purchasing a product. As many as 73% of them will only read the review if it is written in their native language. In e-commerce, there is no in-person shop assistant or any kind of face-to-face communication available. When purchasing a product, language and words simply become the deciding factor for the company's credibility.

Something as simple as good product descriptions, formulated with the local consumer in mind, is one of the surest ways to generate sales and eliminate doubts about the product. After all, people trust people the most, not companies.

In line with the rapid development of globalisation, experts predict that 95% of all shopping will take place online within the next 30 years. From a business perspective, credibility is ultimately what ensures your company's long-term survival. And if you, as an online webshop, do not inspire credibility on your platform, you will simply lose customers and ultimately money.

The key to international success

The companies that are successful across national borders are the ones that manage to create communication with an eye to the local language as well as the cultural norms and values ​​that are embedded in it. For example, there are cultural differences and a difference in communication whether you launch your products in France, Japan or Denmark. A study by Harward Business Reward has found that companies which localise their content have 1.5 times better earnings than those that do not.

Many webshops have succeeded in selling their products in foreign markets and a few things have proven to be the key to success. It has become clear that automation is an essential factor for translating e-commerces, as it enables businesses to optimize their workflows. On top of that, it has been shown that if companies want to be successful in foreign markets, they should consider localised communication about the product.

Conclusion

All in all, communication with consumers needs to be raised to a new level, which takes both automation and the human touch into account. It requires strategic work, such as a proper localisation strategy, and just like in many other respects, the change starts internally.

The future is digital and online shopping is only going to be even more prevalent. If you want to reach your full potential across national borders and cultural differences, you need to think of translation as an essential step that must be valued as highly as the product itself.

Whenever you are ready to start localising your e-commerce, you can access our free software which has all the tools you need - from automation workflows to no-code plugins and a marketplace of freelance translators.
If you are curious about how you can build your own custom localisation strategy, you can feel free to reach out to us or book a meeting.