Never has the eCommerce industry witnessed a surge in growth
as in the past year. While numerous industries suffered from the lockdown
imposed to curtail the COVID 19 pandemic, the eCommerce industry grew like
never before.

According to the report released by UNCTAD, the online retail share of total
retail sales rose from 16% in 2019 to 19% in 2020.

Government imposed lockdowns, increased online shopping
popularity. Although this boost especially favoured eCommerce retailers who
dealt in essential goods, several other products and services went digital to
keep up with the changing times.

Even though the lockdown has been eased, the eCommerce
industry doesn’t look to be slowing down anytime soon. Apparently, the sporadic
evolution that erupted from the global measure changed the game and reformed
the narrative. Rather than slow down, the eCommerce sector is on a roll. More
businesses are going digital, as several individuals discover the advantages of
conducting business in the online space.  

The elimination of distance is one of the biggest advantages of this digital shift. With eCommerce, individuals worldwide can conduct business with one another, exchanging goods and services without leaving the comfort of their homes.

Translation
and Localization playing a pivotal role in eCommerce

Clearly, one of the many advantages of running an eCommerce
store today is the ability to cross borders and transact business with
individuals from varying nationalities without requiring significant presence
in those regions.

Still, as with any remarkable feat, there is a corresponding
challenge. Any retailer looking to explore a new market must come up with a strategy to bridge the language and cultural
barrier, and this is what translation and localization in eCommerce is meant to
achieve.

Both processes involve the ligual adaptation of every
eCommerce platform touchpoints. Anything from blog posts, website copy, product
informations and even graphics. While translation in eCommerce may do some
good, it is not enough. Localisation in eCommerce will take your marketing
strategy a step further and cause you to connect to your target audience on a
deeper level. With localization, you adjust your brand message, content, and
marketing strategy to fit your target market’s cultural preferences.

Proper localization is very crucial. One misrepresentation
of your brand can cost you the entire market, while proper and effective
localization can have the market eating out of your hands.

Indeed, the effectiveness of your translation and
localization can greatly determine how well your brand will be received and
grow in a new market.

Other reasons localization and translation are important in
eCommerce include:  

Enhanced
Customer Experience

For an eCommerce vendor, your website is of utmost
importance; it can determine if the visitor becomes a customer or not. A
translated and localized website gives users the experience of being catered
to. Since the website is in their language and localized to their culture, the
brand will better connect to the user or customer.

More
Prospects

A localized website has the potential to reach more people.
Connecting to more people in their language means you have a broader range of
potential customers.

Strengthened
Brand Awareness

Localization and translation strengthen your brand awareness
on a global scale. Customers are more likely to buy from a brand they feel
connected to, even if they’ve never used the brand before. This solid
connection is achieved through accurate and sincere communication, which
localization provides.

Localization
Helps You Retain Customers

Translation and localization help bridge the cultural
barrier between individuals of different nationalities. Localization will give
your customers a sense that you’re thinking of them and are interested in
connecting with them.

Increased
Profit

For any business owner, profit is the primary goal.
Localization and translation lead to globalization, which increases the
business’ profit in the long run.

The inclusion
of diverse cultural groups In eCommerce could be the game-changer for brands

Consider these
statistics:

• A study by Clock Pound revealed that 75% of individuals
  prefer buying goods from sites that are more accessible.
•  A 2019 Think with Google survey revealed that
  69% of black individuals were more inclined to buy products from a brand whose
  advertising positively reflected their ethnicity.  
• A survey by Accenture revealed that millennials were
  more likely to choose a brand over others if it demonstrated inclusivity in
  their advertisements, promotions, and offers.

From the statistics above, it’s a no-brainer that diversity and
inclusion are a priority to customers. Customers don’t just want to see or know
your product; they want to know that it’s made for them, that it’s accessible
to them.  They want to see that your
product and service can cater to them regardless of their ethnicity, age,
gender, and sexual orientation.

And the same
applies in the eCommerce industry. If you’re going to invest in eCommerce SEO and drive organic traffic to
your brand’s site, you’re going to want everyone to feel welcome and at home on
your website, and integrating diverse groups is a great way to do that.

Inclusivity in eCommerce expands your brand’s reach and
broadens your potential customer base. It also inspires brand loyalty and
boosts customer engagement.

Inclusivity also extends to persons with physical
disabilities like the visually impaired or hard of hearing. Apart from augmenting your site to cater to different ethnicities
with your pictures, you can add changes like captioning your videos, using bold
typefaces and significant texts, searching by voice gestures, and
keyboard-based navigation to greatly enhance your site’s accessibility. 

The future of eCommerce: Localization would be at the fore-front

The eCommerce sector is predicted to experience
unprecedented growth over the next five years. A report published by Statista
reveals that e-retail accounts for 18% of retail sales worldwide, and it is
expected to reach 32.8% by 2024.

eCommerce growth would most likely be propelled by emerging
markets in Asia, South America and Africa. In keeping
with this, the nearest future will see a lot of companies with global ambitions
turning to localization to eliminate geographical barriers and connect with
consumers from these markets.

Conclusion

With the pandemic acting as a catalyst, eCommerce (local and
cross-border) is burning like wildfire as more brands are making the switch
from brick-and-mortar stores to online retail.

Getting a share of the eCommerce pie goes beyond quality
products and one-day order fulfillment (both are still quite important),
eCommerce brands must cater to the cultural diversity of their user-base across
all touchpoints. And this is what quality localization and translation services attempt
to achieve.

Do you want to take your eCommece outfit global? Adapting
your platform for region-specific audiences does not necessarily require
complexities if you employ professional language service providers like TranslationsinLondon
who have more than 10 years actionable experience of making brands go global.

Send us a message or give us a call
to start your global journey.