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.