International ecommerce best practices

Translation for international ecommerce is a growing practice. Hardly surprising, when online sales constituted 26.5% of overall retail sales in the UK in 2022. However, adapting this type of business to international markets is no easy task. To make it work effectively, we must take extra care in every detail, from the language we use for our content to the website’s usability. That’s why today we’re taking a look at international ecommerce best practices.

Is cross-border selling worth it?

Translating as an international ecommerce strategy is nothing new. Before the pandemic, studies like the one led by Common Sense Advisory noted that:

“75% of consumers prefer buying from online businesses in their own language.”

And, as expected, this trend remains. So, if you have an ecommerce and want to take advantage of this increase in cross-border sales, it is crucial to translate your online shop.

To make it accessible in another language, you must address the different parts of your website. And we’re not just talking about the text.

The main parts of an ecommerce that you need to translate include:

• Corporate and legal data: everything from our brand’s name (if it is inappropriate for the target market), to the tax information we need to include on each page. All information regarding our business, as well as privacy and cookies policies and legal notice, must all be displayed in the target language.
• Product sheets: from the product description to its sizes and measurements (especially if the target market uses a different system to our own). And we mustn’t forget to translate the pages that include the purchase process and conditions for the product or service.
• The checkout page: this section must be checked with a fine-tooth comb to make sure nothing has been left out. What’s more, as an ecommerce selling internationally, we need to make sure we offer the appropriate payment methods and currency.

As well as these three key areas, the website must be usable. To make it so, we must make sure that the menus and buttons are all localised into the target language. Likewise, if we offer customer service via a chatbot, it must respond in the corresponding language.

Having said that, there are certain things that we don’t need to translate, like news and blog posts. For this, we can pick out items that can really add value for our new audience.

However, if we post on our blog regularly, we can publish it in other languages in stages using SEO translation, which will help us with our international online ranking.

 

What should I do before translating my website?

As we have already seen, there’s a lot to do! But we can’t let this deter us. If we have decided to take the leap into adding a new language to our ecommerce, the first thing we need to do is research our target audience. In other words, we need to find out who we are targeting, what language they speak and what their habits and customs are.

 

 

Everything we find out will help us translate our content, so we can really connect with them. Doing this will make us more trustworthy in the eyes of our customers and, as a result, generate more sales.

For example, if one of our products may not appeal to them, we won’t need to translate the data sheet. By contrast, if we have a service that may fit their habits, we could enhance it with specific content.

Now, as we have this information, we can contact a professional translator to help us take our business to other countries.

 

5 tips for the best translation of your international ecommerce

To offer the best version of our ecommerce in other countries, we must follow these tips:

Professional or machine translation?

Right now, a popular international ecommerce strategy to cut costs is to resort to automatic or machine translation to launch their websites in other languages. Unfortunately, although these tools can save us a lot of time, they aren’t the best option when it comes to your business.

If we want the results to look professional, then we must turn to the professionals. They are experts in the target language and culture. Clearly, this means dedicating a part of our budget to cover these expenses.

However, in terms of international ecommerce growth, it is the best investment you will make, as with a precise analysis of the target market and audience, it will even pay for itself over time.

Create a glossary of key terms

If our sector is highly specialised or technical, we must have a glossary of key terms when translating.

This glossary will help us to correctly adapt these words, whether we always use the same translator or if we use the services of another agency.

Review and edit the translated content

Hiring a good translator doesn’t mean the odd error won’t slip through the net. If we don’t have absolute control over the target language, we obviously can’t review their work and these errors may end up being published. What can we do in this situation?

On the one hand, we can turn to a third-party reviewer. That said, there is a simpler option. If you work with agencies like Ontranslation, who specialise in international ecommerce solutions, we include a revision by a second translator, allowing us to refine and sharpen the project without increasing the price.

Optimise your translation for SEO

As an ecommerce selling internationally, SEO translation is essential if we want to launch successfully in another market. Obviously, not all translators or agencies are familiar with this type of translation. However, we do our research when looking for professionals who work with SEO.

 

Staying consistent in a translation

Just like having a glossary of special terms, we must make sure that our translations stay consistent in tone and style. If each part of our website has a different writing style, the user may find it hard to read and lose faith in the website.

Similarly, when laying the foundations for how a text should be translated to reach a target audience, we should highlight a couple of things to do with the writing style.

For example, in some countries and regions, a formal tone is preferred when addressing the user, whereas others are more flexible depending on the context.

This level of attention to translation for your international ecommerce growth.

 

Trust the professionals to translate international ecommerce

The work involved in globalising an international ecommerce, as well as the specialisation of certain areas means that the best way to achieve it is to turn to translation professionals.

At Ontranslation we have vast experience in these types of projects and we can translate your ecommerce into whichever language you need. Get in touch and we’ll assess the best strategy to take your business beyond our borders.