With more than 150 online marketplaces out there, it can be difficult to know how to implement a localisation strategy. Nonetheless, it’s well worth doing, as online marketplaces can act as an additional marketing channel for your business.
According to Statista, there were 2.14 billion online buyers worldwide in 2021, making it more important than ever to expand your e-commerce practices.1 As English is the most spoken language in the world2, it’s tempting to think you can rely on non-native speakers to use your English-language marketplace; however, multiple studies show that website users prefer to make online purchases in their own language.
As a localisation specialist, Codex Global is here to help you localise your listings on international marketplaces. To this end, read on to learn more about localisation, its importance and how to implement a localisation strategy.
In a nutshell, localisation is a more comprehensive process than translation that:
As 40% of consumers won’t buy from e-commerce websites in another language3, you increase your chance of a sale if you give them information in their native language.
Establishing a presence on international marketplaces helps you gain brand awareness, receive wider consumer feedback, and gauge the demand for various products.
We at Codex Global understand the value of making the right connection with your target audience. As such, we work closely with brands to ensure that all localisation, content creation and multilingual brand management undertaken fits within your brand image.
Google Merchant Centre’s guidelines state you must use the supported currency and language for the locale in which you’re advertising.
Localising (or indeed creating) product listings on a new marketplace may seem daunting. The best way to approach it is in stages. Determine which product(s) and marketplace(s) are a priority for your business and start with those. Create a flexible and scalable plan with a realistic content calendar.
So, we’ve come up with a five-step process to develop an effective localisation strategy for international marketplaces.
You first need to decide which marketplace(s) to implement a localisation strategy on. You can do this by using an SEO tool to discover which marketplaces are already driving traffic and in which specific regions.
You could also consider branching out to a new, region-specific marketplace, such as:
Unfortunately, it’s not as simple as picking the official language of your target region. In fact, you should ensure your localisation strategy includes any minority languages in the region. For example, many Ukrainian citizens are native speakers of a language other than the official language (Ukrainian). The largest minority language is Russian due to the country’s history. 30% of Ukrainians speak Russian as their first language4, so you’d need to factor in that this country is not linguistically homogenous.
Of course, you want to create a memorable brand that stands out on the market. However, a marketing strategy that works in one country is not guaranteed to succeed in another. You’ll need to thoroughly consider how you create market-appropriate titles, product descriptions and images.
As titles have a restricted character length, it’s important to choose your words carefully. But you should also think about the length of your title; some cultures like a lengthy title (e.g., Japan), but for others, it might come across as untrustworthy.
The basic principles of creating an effective product description also apply to those for a new target market. However, you may also want to consider:
Of course, you want to use high-quality photographs of your products. However, you do need to consider what cultural factors affect visual imagery. Images that resonate in one market may cause cultural offence in another.
While standard optimisation practices apply, you also need to consider:
At Codex, we offer performance localisation services to help you with this step. This process combines data analytics, SEO processes, technology and creativity.
Once you’ve completed your localisation strategy, it’s important to promote your localised content. Promote them across social media and your e-commerce site. You could even start an advertising campaign on the marketplace itself.
You should also ensure you don’t forget to localise new listings. Streamline your ongoing localisation strategy and track your performance regularly for optimum results. Or you could consider…
If you understand the benefit of a localisation strategy for international marketplaces but are still unsure where to begin, why not reach out to a content localisation partner?
Rich Insight provides a bespoke service to help brands identify the right channels and territories from hundreds of marketplaces. Our services include listing optimisation, and we liaise with Amazon and eBay. Contact us today for more information on how to grow your brand on international marketplaces.
As one of Rich Insight’s partners, Codex Global offers numerous services to help with localisation, including brand management, transcreation, translation, performance localisation and more! We specialise within various sectors, including fashion, cosmetics, consumer goods, travel and leisure and electronics. Contact us today to see how we can help with your localisation strategy.