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For many growing companies, ecommerce is nothing short of a dream. It’s a doorway to international expansion that would stay locked shut without the benefit of the internet and ecommerce platforms operating worldwide.
Once the domain of the world’s business giants, international marketing is now an option for even modestly sized brands. But it’s a growth opportunity tempered through careful planning. Expanding into Asian territories demands localization partners who understand the language, region, culture, and local sensitivities. Blundering into foreign markets can do brands more harm than good, but with the proper guidance, it’s an opportunity unique to the modern digital era.
It’s no wonder why business leaders consider ecommerce a vital opportunity. With the rapid adoption of mobile devices in developing countries — like those in Southeast Asia and its $114.6 billion gross merchandise volume, for instance — it’s a chance to build a customer base from the ground floor. According to digital media news firm KrAsia, Indonesian consumers in particular have embraced the ecommerce world, with 24.5% shopping at least once a week and 4.1% shopping daily for fashion (the most popular Indonesian ecommerce vertical at 70.1%) and beauty products (coming in second at 49.7%). And with 40% of ecommerce transactions fueled by digital wallet purchases, ecommerce brings the added bonus of safe, secure, and uniquely digital-friendly transactions.
Amazon was among the first to recognize the global ecommerce boom, sowing strategic investments throughout the 2000s and 2010s in European and Asian markets. Those early investments are paying dividends in countries like India, where the ecommerce giant is one of the best-known platforms in the region.
“Six years ago internet adoption was trickling deeper into the country, you had newer customers joining the internet revolution, thanks to the coming together of a couple of key forces,” Ravi Desai, director of mass and brand marketing at Amazon India, told The Drum. “One was that the smartphone is the key access point to the internet for customers in India and smartphone prices were becoming more and more affordable to people in middle-income segments of the country.
“The other force was that access to data was becoming cheaper and cheaper in India,” he added. “When you marry these two, and the aspiration that we typically find in Indian customers, it was not surprising that internet adoption was exploding. Amazon’s journey has been a mirror to that.”
With its thriving international operations, Amazon and its primary competitors have a relatively quick route to international business. But “quick” should never be interpreted as “careless.” To win new customers in any region, a brand must speak their language, both literally and figuratively.
For a start, brands need a localization partner to translate and culturalize all their customer-facing content, from product listings to directions. According to CSA Research, 76% of consumers prefer buying products fully localized into their native language. But for a truly ambitious launch, it doesn’t stop there. As popular fashion brands John Smedley and Dior discovered, translating experiences to resonate with a target audience is as important as translating words.
“The Japanese customer likes to have a very European look and feel, whereas when we’re representing the global brand, we want more diversity in terms of demographics and ethnicity,” John Smedley Deputy Managing Director Jess Mcguire-Dudley told Glossy. “So we started allowing the local markets to do their own shoots for social media to blend some localized content with our main brand content.”
The upshot? Brands can have the world’s best product, but if they’re not reaching consumer hearts, they’re coming up short. A consumer’s native language is as natural as oxygen to them — it’s what puts them at ease and mitigates ecommerce issues like cart abandonment and flagging conversions.
And that’s why regional partners are an essential investment for any expanding brand. Localized pricing and content can spur 30% faster growth, according to market research. Make sure your partner is equipped to deliver those experiences to your new markets.
“Entering a new market provides the opportunity for immense growth, but only if done with care and the intention to speak directly to the audience within said market,” Stephen Light, co-owner and CEO of mattress company Nolah, told Shopify. Meeting consumers where they are and communicating with them in a manner that speaks directly to them is the key to unlocking new opportunities for growth through ecommerce. Localization of language, content, product offerings, and even currency will help both new and established businesses reap long-term benefits, and with new technology and localization options becoming more and more accessible, it’s best to get started now to stay ahead of the competition.
Cameron Rasmussen
