If your business has the intention of reaching a global audience, product localization is a necessity. As it stands, only 4.83% of the world’s population use English as first language, but 54% of the language on the internet is English. This divide signals a need for businesses to improve customer experiences by speaking to them in the languages and ways that they understand and are comfortable with.
But, comfort isn’t the only benefit of product localization. In this article, we’ll cover the top 5 benefits localized products provide for both your customers and your business.
First, though, let’s find out exactly what product localization is.
What is product localization?
Product localization is the process of adapting an existing product so that it fits better with a specific audience. These modifications can be made to better fit customers that use an alternate language or practice a different religion. In some cases, though, even region-specific changes within the same country can improve customer experience.
Some of the common changes made through product localization include date and address formats, local currency conversions, and units of measurement. Giving your customers this product information in an easily digestible form will help them move along the buyer’s journey faster—with fewer hiccups along the way.
Sometimes product localization even requires changing a product’s name to better fit the market. A well-known example is Coca-Cola in China, the product name had to be changed to Kekoukele—roughly meaning “tasty fun”—because the original translation meant “bite the wax tadpole.”
Benefits of product localization
Now that you know a bit more about product localization and why it’s necessary, let’s dive into the benefits that you and your customers can enjoy.
1. Localization improves understanding
Before buying your products, a customer will need to understand what they’re buying and why they should buy it from you. Localizing your product will give customers a chance to make an educated decision about your product, ultimately leading to happier customers down the track.
2. Improved customer experiences
An overall benefit of product localization is improved customer experiences. This improvement is a result of creating a product that better fits the intended market. By making modifications based on local culture, religion, slang, purchasing habits, imagery, colors, and many other factors, your target market can enjoy a product that is a perfect fit.
3. Avoid offending your potential customers
While translation mistakes can be funny and nonsensical like in the Coca-Cola example, in some cases, it’s possible that your marketing can be offensive. A common example of this is Christmas time in Western/Catholic or Christian countries.
During this time of year, a majority of brands will add a Christmas theme to their product marketing efforts. While this may work perfectly well in the aforementioned countries, trying this in Thailand, for example, could result in a negative response due to the predominantly Buddhist population.
4. Sales numbers improve
Product localization can directly lead to improved sales numbers in the region your business targets. If your customers can better understand your product, what it is, what it does, and why it’s the right choice they’ll naturally be inclined to finalize the sale.
On the other hand, though, if they’re struggling to make sense of the product information or need to manually convert measurements and currencies, they may seek out an easier option.
5. Improves brand development and loyalty
At the end of the day, people prefer to stick to brands they love, even if there’s an alternative at a cheaper price. While the alternative could provide a similar outcome, the overall customer experience of the chosen brand is what keeps them coming back. And a key way to provide the best customer experience is through product localization.
Don’t miss out on the benefits of product localization
Here at Day Translations one of our specialties is localization and in particular, product localization. We know how important it is for your brand to make a good first impression when moving into unfamiliar markets, that’s why we only provide the highest quality localization services.
Do you have a new localization project in the pipeline? Then call 1-800-969-6853 to get a free quote in just a few minutes.