Are You Listening to Your Customers?
International businesses and the customers who buy their products were recently surveyed on the importance of language during the online shopping experience. Surprisingly, a majority of executives ranked translation and localization as minimally important. However, a vast majority of consumers said these elements drive their purchasing decisions. This highlights an ongoing disconnect between e-tailers and their customers.
When companies do not demonstrate a clear understanding of their clients’ needs and desires, the result is that these customers are no longer interested in remaining loyal. Are you listening? And how do you show your customer base that you are engaged, interested, and working hard to keep them happy?
The impression you make on your customers directly impacts your purchase rate. This boils down to the way in which you communicate with your intended customers. The accurate, positive interpretation of your message has a direct correlation to the likeliness of a purchase. Is your message attractive, appealing, and understandable—in any language?
Too frequently, consumers encounter websites that are not available in their native languages or that use expressions that are not familiar locally. Consumers are turned off by websites with careless translation or dated/stereotypical information about the countries in which they were attempting to sell, and rightly so. Consumers crave quality shopping experiences and will take their business elsewhere if they don’t find such experiences.
In simple terms, your customer will be more inclined to purchase in an environment where they feel respected. A consumer who visits a website that is not available in their native language is not going to feel comfortable, satisfied, or interested. Moreover, a consumer who visits a website and attempts to translate the content manually will either rely on a browser-based translation application that will likely misinterpret the content and deliver an unintended message, or terminate the session entirely due to lack of intended effort or appeal.
