Localization Strategy

While meeting global expectations, the businesses sometimes sideline the local audience, unknowingly. It causes more trouble than gains, especially when the customers feel that the product lacks in providing them a unique experience. A feasible solution is available in the form of the right localization strategy.

Let’s explore in this post the following points to find why localized software and apps matter:

  1. What is localization and how it helps
  2. What are the right localization strategies?

What is localization and how it helps

Localization means providing a rustic fabric to the software, website, or application so that it becomes more relatable to the geo-specific audiences. It also means to understand the local customers fully so as to design products that can complement their buying behavior.

The time to localize is Now!

Localization has attained the status of survival strategy, as the businesses need it to work their way around prevailing conditions. For instance, in the wake of the pandemic, the businesses looked up to e-commerce solutions to reach the audience. According to Statista, this shift in ways of doing business resulted in a phenomenal increase in e-sales. About 1.92 billion consumers reportedly used the businesses’ e-commerce touchpoints to buy their things of need or to maintain their lifestyle in 2019 and 2020.

Another reason to adopt localization is an increase in the numbers of local language internet users. As reported by Entrepreneur, the countries which are considered non-English regions (such as India and China) had 560 million and 850 million internet users approximately. All these figures show that if you have not thought about localization yet, it is high time you do it now!

Here are some proven strategies explained to offer ease of adopting localization.

2.  What are the right localization strategies?

How to go about adopting localized tools and work processes? Well, whenever any new feature is to be included, one needs to ponder over the points like feasibility, cost-effectiveness, and relevance. The localization testing servicesprovide the intelligence needed to ascertain these features, to begin with. So, once this part is over, one can safely move to other actions, comprising:

Research-backed business planning

Consider analytics while planning business operations. There will always be some areas where your product will be in high demand. Further, your product presentation style may appeal to people located in some specific geographical regions. Knowing these user characteristics can help in adopting more user-centric ways, which help bring more numbers in return.

A crucial part of business planning will depend upon the expertise of localization testing services, which can help find if the product is amply adapted to local buyers’ language, practices, and culture.

Speak the language the customers speak

Every region has its specific language. Research on popular business languages of the Internet reveals that English is not the only communication medium available for doing business. The growing popularity of other languages like Mandarin, German, Spanish, Portuguese, etc. is propelling digital businesses to have e-brochures, instruction manuals, and website content accessible in other languages apart from English. Thus, making language user-friendly is another localization strategy worth following.

Design the products keeping geo-centric technology-related factors in mind

Internet service does not work the same way throughout the world. Some countries offer better internet speeds than others. Thus, the inclusion of elements in accordance with the downloading speeds available in the target locations is a well-thought strategy. The localization testing services apply speed tests to find how elements like graphics and multimedia, or keyboard shortcuts or fonts affect the loading speed of the website or application.

Include culturally appropriate design elements

The most eye-catching design element is color. The use of colors in the website or application design can create a negative impression if not done thoughtfully. For example, white color for a US consumer looking for wedding dresses is an appropriate suggestion, but it may not convince a buyer from China.

Also, while designing the content, the tone, expressions, consistency, and time of delivery are to be considered to bring in the element of localization.

Design marketing campaigns with rustic appeal

The language used in the marketing campaigns should match the culture prevalent in the target country or territory. The campaigns’ ads must have stories that are not tone-deaf to consumers’ cultural beliefs and ideologies.

Renowned brands like KFC failed in China merely because its slogans’ meaning got distorted in translation. This case is a classic indicator of why to adopt language with caution and undivided focus on localization.

To conclude,

Localization is a growing need for businesses to be able to feed the large population’s demand that uses software, websites, and applications in their respective native languages. Also, e-commerce’s growing popularity demands businesses to work as per local users’ requirements. Hence, plan, design, and implement localization strategies on priority if you want to cut the competition.

By Anurag Rathod

Anurag Rathod is an Editor of Appclonescript.com, who is passionate for app-based startup solutions and on-demand business ideas. He believes in spreading tech trends. He is an avid reader and loves thinking out of the box to promote new technologies.