June 13, 2019 |
Getting your online store ready for growing international sales can be a challenge. The goal is to provide all website visitors with a one-of-a-kind shopping experience, regardless of the language they speak. To achieve that, there are several e-commerce translation best practices you should follow.
e-commerce localization goes beyond simple translation of your product names and descriptions. When you adapt your online store to local audiences, you gain their trust, making it more likely to generate sales.
Check out these seven e-commerce translation best practices to help you make your website stand out (while blending in) with local online stores.
Successful e-commerce translation and localization means:
Remember to stay focused on end users’ expectations. Give your translators exact details about the public you’re targeting. This way, they’ll know how to organize the content to capture and retain the attention of potential buyers.
Convincing people to buy requires diverse techniques, depending on the local market. That’s because people who speak different languages also have different buying habits.
The trigger words that convince people to add items into their carts change by region. So make sure you work with translators and linguists who understand these differences.
International online shoppers want a fast, seamless buying experience. The fewer the steps required for finalizing an order, the better. So, make sure you eliminate extra hassles to avoid having more abandoned carts than transactions.
When translating product descriptions and technical data, convert sizes, units of measures, or any other detail that could confuse buyers.
Work with your translators and localization specialists to simplify the checkout process. All forms should be written in the buyer’s language, and the costs should be expressed in the local currency. Also, make sure you provide full transparency by including all taxes right from the start.
Eliminate any field that isn’t relevant to the local buyer. This way, you’ll help visitors buy your products more easily. In time, this approach will enable you to gain trust, increase brand awareness, and build loyalty.
Besides e-commerce translation, you should also localize your overall marketing strategy. PPC, social media, content marketing; everything should be adapted to the local audience.
When you localize your marketing messages, you increase your chances of reaching the right public for your products. You’ll drive relevant traffic to your online store–which means better conversions and more sales.
Yes, search engine optimization is a job for your translators! International SEO is a crucial element when looking to implement e-commerce translation best practices.
iSEO is more than technical details and URLs. It involves cultural insights, excellent language skills, and in-depth knowledge of the local markets–which is rather a job for linguists than SEO agencies.
As a guideline, iSEO includes keyword research for every new market you localize for, quality content, and local backlinks to your website.
You can’t do iSEO without a skilled linguist who understands the importance of local keywords and knows how to include them naturally in your copy.
The key to a successful international SEO strategy is a customer-centered translation. Work closely with your team of translators and make sure every translation is done with the client in mind.
e-commerce should be comfortable from the first click to the last. Any disruption can make the buyer abandon the cart and move to an easier online store. Translation alone can’t convince people to buy. In the buyer’s journey, payment is a crucial element as well.
72 percent of online shoppers prefer to pay in local currencies, so you should provide your local buyers with local payment solutions. Local payments make buyers feel comfortable when paying and usually come with lower fees.
Have a universal tool available (like PayPal) as well. This could help you attract a wider range of business opportunities. Basically, give your clients more payment options, and they’ll be more likely to buy from you.
When you sell products internationally, you need to ensure high-quality translation of all of the product information. Translating just parts of the product information to save money won’t help you grow internationally.
88 percent of buyers research products before making a purchase either online or in physical locations. The more details you can share about your products, the higher your chances of making a sale. On the other hand, if you only translate minimal content per product, you risk losing clients.
Countries have different rules when it comes to labeling, packaging, guarantees, and returns. Depending on the market you want to sell in, you may have to add certain information to comply with local regulations.
In this case, your translators should do more than rewrite the details from the English version of your website. Most of the time, professionals know what information should be listed on your site and will help you comply with local requirements.
Also, make sure that the information regarding the refund and return policy of your online store is easy to understand by all buyers.
e-commerce translation has an excellent return on investment, especially when you take the time to do things the right way. Follow these e-commerce translation best practices, and you’ll see that professional translation will help you in more ways than one.
It allows you to provide international customers with a pleasant shopping experience in their native language, which affects your conversion rate and sales. At the same time, it helps you boost SEO, which leads to more relevant traffic to your online store.