Here we meet again in a new article analyzing and guiding you about Ecommerce Localization and how to do it just right. We have already talked about Ecommerce Localization as the Key to Growth, then Best Practices for Ecommerce Localization, and today we will deal with the must-to-have elements while localizing your e-commerce platform.
Before proceeding to the core of our article, I would like to remind you that market research is the fundamental base upon which you will choose what product/s you list in your e-commerce store. Deciding on the products, you must think about your brand strategy and how you are going to introduce your business to your target market.
Now, let’s start our journey of exploring the must-to-dos when working on your e-commerce Localization, where we will detail how to:
1- Keep your layout simple.
2- Give proper descriptions of the products.
3- Use high-quality visuals.
4- Customize the checkout.
5- Ensure website responsiveness.
6- Know your audience’s cultural and social patterns.
7- Have Local regulations and legal knowledge.
8- Enhance your social media influence.
9- Invest in SEO.
10- Secure your website.
11- Consult an expert
Keep your layout simple
Your website is the first thing the customer will encounter; make sure to give the best first impression of your business to the buyers. Don’t be messy, complicated, or too forked; be organized, and systematic, and index your products in a well-defined manner.
Give proper descriptions of the products
Shoppers would definitely want to have a full overview of the product they are going to buy; its use, how it works, warranty, etc. List all relevant product details like features, prices, availability, and so on, in a well-written and easy-to-understand language.
Use high-quality visuals
High-quality images and videos help show your customers you are professional and keen on your business. Also, it helps display the features of your products clearly and efficiently. You just need to make sure that the high quality and resolution of the used materials do not affect the loading and navigation speed of your pages by any means.
Customize the checkout
Out of my experience as a shopper myself, localization guarantees that customers will proceed to the final step using their own preferred methods of payment, currency, shipping options, etc. Actually, conducted market research asserts that 65% of consumers prefer to read content in their local language.
Ensure your website responsiveness
Many times, I could not go beyond the first page of some websites, simply because I was logging in from my smartphone and the layout was not fitting my screen size even. What does this indicate? It tells you to make sure your ecommerce website is responsive to all devices for the customer to enjoy the same experience on mobile as from a desktop or laptop, as statistics declare that as of 2021, 79% of smartphone users have used their mobile devices to make a purchase. Contentech is your target expert whenever you want to conduct a cross-browser and devices audit to ensure your platform responsiveness and ability to perform efficiently on all browsers and devices.
Know your audience’s cultural and social patterns
Analyze your audience’s cultural, social, religious, and even political background to avoid using localized material – images, videos, symbols, colors, etc. – that does not convey the right messages or unintentionally portray a connotation that may offend the locals.
Have Local regulations and legal knowledge
Different countries have their own regulations and laws relating to areas such as allowed products, taxes, personal information security, etc. Having the necessary knowledge of all the target countries’ regulations shall ensure that your business is fully complying with all relevant country codes.
Enhance your social media influence
Because social media presence has become very critical, a localized social media experience will encourage buyers to engage and share reviews in their native language, which will increase the site’s visibility, and promote the products to a wider audience.
Invest in SEO
Ordinarily, I do not move further than the first page of google search results when looking for a product or a service, and this is in most cases the behavior of the majority of shoppers as statistics reveal that 75% of people never scroll past the first page of search engines. Your ecommerce site must be SEO friendly and well-optimized by enlisting the most searchable keywords in the target language to incorporate them into the website content appropriately. SEO Translation and Localization services are the keys to ranking your site higher in search engines and being found faster.
Secure your website
Dealing with an ecommerce website means having financial transactions, which needs this website to be totally secured through an SSL certificate. To secure your buyers’ journey, make sure to have this certificate and apply site-wide.
Consult an expert
To avoid re-working your website to fix, update and apply new changes, start your development by consulting an expert that can help tailor your website as per the industry’s best practices and your requirements.
Now let’s have a look at a down-to-earth experience of one of our top clients that achieved a booming success Indeed.
InstaShop was founded in 2015 in Dubai as an online grocery delivery service. Twelve months later, the company was nominated by Forbes Middle East as one of “The most promising UAE startups” of the year, having more than 60,000 users, reason why Souq.com (now Amazon) quickly decided to invest on the project. In the following years the company expanded outside the UAE, starting its operations in Qatar and Bahrain in 2017, to then enter in Egypt and Lebanon in 2018, same year when Forbes Middle East awarded it as one of the top 100 startups.
InstaShop approached Contentech for a localization project, where they went deeper than just localizing for Arabs, they required two Arabic versions (MSA & Egyptian Arabic), realizing the fact that dialects affect the customer behavior especially due to the big difference between the Egyptian dialect and all the other Arabic ones. This means that they have professionally studied each market and discovered its linguistic requirements to provide a domestic, local, and native online experience to be up to the competition there.
We had a quick interview with InstaShop to brief that experience through answering 3 main questions covering the subject, and this was how it went:
Contentech: How important is localization for your growth strategy?
InstaShop: Localization of content helps reach the correct audience and enhances the customer experience. Being able to “talk” to the consumer in their own language adds value and makes the service more “personal” and more accessible to any user no matter their socioeconomic status. So, yes, localization is a never-to-miss success factor for us and for any business having the ambition to compete adequately.
Contentech: Why did you decide not to localize to MSA only but Egyptian Arabic as well?
InstaShop: That is a good point here. Actually, Egyptian Arabic is so different from Standard Arabic, it has its own pronunciation, context, meaning and so. Hence the need to localize into Egyptian Arabic was of major importance to create an easy stressless experience for the user, where he can enjoy a smooth shopping journey and reaches the checkout page facing no obstacles in the way.
Contentech: Does localization help drive organic traffic to your website?
InstaShop: Localization in general helps attract and connect with more customers, which is translated to more traffic. If the website is professionally localized, customers will feel it like home; they will not have any difficulties understanding what is placed there, will not feel lost searching for the items, or struggle to complete a purchase. This means your customers will keep coming back and you will drive higher traffic.
Whatever the ecommerce platform you are using, whether it’s Magento, Shopify, Woocommerce, or a custom-built one, Contentech will be there as early as you plan for your ecommerce project, with all the necessary tools and knowledge, to drive your business in the right direction and help you set up the right localization workflow that saves your time, money and efforts.
Aside from our tech-driven digital content solutions, Contentech stands out as a 360-degree consultancy service provider that you need throughout your journey. We offer you a thorough and deep glimpse into the market you are targeting, and keep you well informed of the latest market trends and industry information, in addition to analyzing your customer behavior and gaining insights into your audience so you can take effective actions in real-time.
Our next article takes you to the other side where I will tell you the things you would not definitely want to have on your ecommerce website.
