UXlocalization:ExpandingyoureCommerceexperiencetonewcultures

Localization vs internationalization: What’s the difference?

UX localization tips and considerations

Translating your eCommerce site

• Write inclusive copy: Avoid idioms and slang in product descriptions and other eCommerce content, as these can confuse non-native speakers.

• Adapt content to local measurement, date, and time standards: If a customer is viewing a product page from the UK, the product’s weight, length, and volume measurements should conform to the metrics system. This rule should apply to all of your brand’s locales.

• Avoid fixed text, containers, and positions: When your eCommerce site goes through localization, the amount of space that text takes up will inevitably grow or shrink, depending on the language. Try avoiding templated UI designs with fixed dimensions for containers and positions. Otherwise, the design may look messy and unprofessional for certain audiences.

• Optimize chatbots and VUIs: If your site uses third-party chatbots or VUIs for customer service, make sure they’re programmed to understand and respond to multiple languages.

Localizing sales and marketing efforts

• Be careful with visual imagery: Certain symbols and colors differ in meaning across cultures. For example, in Asian cultures, the color green represents new life—while in South American cultures, it represents death. Being aware of these subtle, yet important differences will help your marketing team make smarter decisions when deploying localized content, whether it be a video, infographic, or homepage design.

• Analyze local market trends and customer expectations: Some products will sell better than others in certain locales, and your eCommerce sales and marketing strategy should take advantage of that. Localized sites should have their own geo-targeted user navigation, upsell opportunities, product recommendations, and so on. Also, don’t forget to localize seasonal discounts and promotions so that they align with each country’s holidays and traditions.

• Update your SEO strategy: By localizing your site’s content and technical structure, you can increase organic traffic by 47%, and conversion rates by 20%, according to a recent study. Your marketing team should deploy content—from blogs, to landing pages, to videos and podcasts—that’s most relevant to the audience of each locale. And by applying hreflang tags to your URLs, search engines like Google will know which language the page is in, so they can direct the right users to it.

Localizing the checkout experience

• Accept multiple currencies: With the right eCommerce platform and payment gateway, you can automate exchange rate calculations and accept all the currencies that your customers use.

• Support multiple payment methods: Like currency, payment preferences vary from country to country. In addition to credit and debit cards, make sure your site’s checkout supports alternative payment methods like digital wallets, electronic bank transfers, cash on delivery, and perhaps even cryptocurrency.

• Comply with local laws and regulations: Once the customer clicks “Purchase,” your order fulfillment strategy must comply with their region’s rules around shipping, taxes, and so on. These varying requirements should be built into your localization strategy, then regularly updated and maintained to ensure long-term compliance.

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