Without translation, we would be living in provinces bordering on silence. ➖George Steiner
Did you know why Starbucks, the coffee haven we love and adore fail in the Australian markets?
Starbucks has seen a great elevation in its international sales due to its distinct coffee flavors and aesthetic-looking drinks. However, it did not appeal to Australian markets as much as they anticipated. Due to Starbucks strategy, they incurred a whopping $105 million in losses!! But what was the reason behind this?
Well, the biggest mistake Starbucks did when it entered the Australian market was to think that the locals did not need to adjust their offerings in accordance with the demand. If you know anything about Australia, you must know that they have a very rich coffee culture and cafe menus encapsulate complex coffee drinks as opposed to basic drinks normally found in Starbucks stores. To add to that, the Australian market found Starbucks drinks to be very sweet in taste which they are not usually fond of.
This is why Localization is important for a brand. We at Apric, in the course of these years, interacted with people from many different cultures and that just reinforces our emphasis on the importance of localization.
You may have noticed that all the cult brands have one thing in common: They have their website localized to fit all audiences.
What REALLY is Localization, though?
Website localization is the process of adapting a website to cater to a specific niche of an audience that speaks a different language than your brand and exudes different cultural values. This is not it, it has many layers to it.
Localization keeps in mind crisp translation, slang, convention, and culture-specific lingo that could enhance the user’s experience. This could be portrayed in a range of functionalities like currencies, date formats, measurement metrics, etc. This can also be exhibited in the form of imagery and text.
Why is it important?
Apart from the obvious reason of enhanced sales, there are many benefits to adopting a Website localization approach.
- Improved SEO
Localized websites have a much higher chance of ranking. Just make sure to use quality content with strong keywords. This is due to the fact that Localized websites have a much higher chance of attracting more leads, getting more traffic to the website, and easy navigation to users.
2. Reinforce Messaging
If you speak in a specific language, tone, or slang exclusive to the community, you will be able to communicate with their people effortlessly as opposed to using a standard language that they may be aware of, but not fluent in. This would in turn give you a chance to reinforce your messaging and your sales agenda.
3. User Engagement
People feel proud when they get to embrace their culture. Localization not only gives you a chance to connect with the people but gives you a pedestal to get acquainted with the culture. This results in high levels of customer engagement and satisfaction.
4. Enhanced Global Image
Your customers can see how much effort you have put into trying to understand and delve into their culture. They see that you have gone the extra mile to offer them your services. This would never go unnoticed and would lead to enhanced global credibility.
To succeed in a new environment, the best thing you can do is actually put effort into making it personal for them. And just like in any relationship, if efforts are put in, people will appreciate it.
How should you approach the website localization process?
- Planning and Market Research
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