Key Features That Impact E-Commerce Translation

E-Commerce is a sector that went from ambiguity to revolutionary in less than a decade. The phenomenon isn’t limited to the west alone. For instance, in a country like India, e-commerce has been rapidly snatching the market from its brick and mortar rivals. Flipkart, a leading e-commerce retailer in India, came into being in 2007 and by 2014 it grew to be 5 times bigger than it was when it started. This is just one example of how e-commerce has expanded in recent times and it’s happening across the globe. If you’re an e-commerce retailer, this is the perfect time to localize and exploit the foreign market. But, before, you do make sure you consider these factors.

‍Language

‍Language is a key part of localization. If you want to make in-roads into a local market, make sure you know what language to use. For instance, research tells us that India is building an affinity towards more Hindi content. In fact, the searches for content in the Hindi language have grown by more than 100% in the past few years. Similar growth has been noted with regard to the country’s regional dialects as well. So, when working on your e-commerce portal, make sure you pay attention to this detail.

‍Payment

‍This shouldn’t really come as a surprise, but, many new e-commerce businesses fail to consider it. Local online shoppers want to see prices in their own currency. They do not have the time to sit and convert. Therefore, make sure your shopping cart does the conversions. The same goes with choosing a payment solutions provider. Customer preference is a priority here. Other than that, make sure you also consider taxes and exchange rates. When you start pricing products, the prices need to reflect the regions taxes and exchange rates. There are also regulations that you might need to consider when carrying out these conversions.

‍Customer Experience

‍The next thing to focus on is creating a good customer experience. How do you plan to address your customers when they visit your site? Do you intend to localize the experience? For instance, will you be using their language for the site (as discussed above)? The way you communicate has a lot to do with providing the right customer experience, especially in the context of localization. Formalities and pleasantries can vary from one country to another. Do the research and make sure you know what the right terms are for greeting your customers.

The same goes for customer service as well. One way to simplify things would be to make use of e-learning content that can help your customer service teams know more about the product they’re dealing with. This content can be integrated into your existing platform. Provide a more personalized experience by incorporating innovative service tools such as live chat, e-mail, and live phone.

‍Content Management

‍Once your localized content achieves a higher volume, it would be wise to invest in a translation management system. Make sure there’s one dedicated to each local market. This system can be linked to your e-commerce platform. As a result, you can enjoy better efficiency, cost reduction, and faster product launches.‍

Communication Style

‍The way you communicate also matters a lot. For instance, in America, informal would be the way to go. Customers here prefer to have businesses chat them up in a casual manner. However, will that approach work in Germany? This is something that you need to ask before taking things further.

‍SEO

‍SEO is another area of high importance Identify keywords that are likely to be used by your local demographic. Even if they’re an English speaking group, the way they use search terms could vary from what customers back home might use.

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