An e-commerce website offers a relatively low barrier to entry for selling your products and services online. But unlike a traditional business model, it allows you to sell beyond your own borders and operate an international business from day one, proving the importance of e-commerce translation.
According to Statista, by 2021 over 2.14 billion people worldwide are expected to buy goods and services online. That’s up from 1.66 billion global digital buyers in 2016. And while some people choose to shop online for convenience, others are attracted by the competitive prices offered on e-commerce websites.
The Crucial Role of E-Commerce Translation
Benefits Business Owners and Customers
An e-commerce website is no longer just an option for your business – it’s an essential tool if you plan to compete.
Consumers discover products, research features and compare prices online, often from their mobile devices. This is because today’s increasingly mobile-first shoppers expect you to provide the information they’re looking for, where they’re looking for it.
If you don’t appear in searches, you’re missing out on business opportunities.
E-commerce websites have affordable setup costs and low overhead, allowing business owners to manage an operation with less staff than a traditional brick and mortar shop with conventional opening hours.
And the fact is, setting up a physical store is not financially viable for many business owners who are just starting out.
This explains the growing popularity of online web shop creation platforms such as PrestaShop, Wix, Magento and Shopify, which make it easy for business owners to launch their own potentially highly profitable online sales platforms.
These also integrate seamlessly with Facebook and Instagram, meaning you can promote your products or services to your existing friends and followers as soon as you start.
Even novice business owners are taking their business ideas online, often without any prior experience in e-commerce marketing, using a content management system (CMS) or building a website.
Starting an e-commerce shop has never been easier.
E-Commerce Booming From the UK to the USA
The variety of online services is endless. Whether you’re selling bespoke handmade clothing, cleaning services, organic cosmetics or affordable computer software, there’s room for every type of business.
And chances are there’s a shop theme designed for your niche already. So, you only have to drag and drop your products into the site. What’s more, the online market makes it easier to bring in revenue and keep overheads down.
Lemonstand E-Commerce reports that of the 12 million e-commerce sites online in the US, only 650,000 make less than $1000 per year. That’s less than 6%.
In the United States, shopping online is becoming increasingly commonplace across all age groups.
The U.S. Commerce Department reports the strongest year-over-year growth for U.S. e-commerce between the fourth quarter and 2017. In 2017, online customers spent $453.46 billion. This is a 16% increase from the $390.99 billion spent in e-commerce in 2016. And, no surprise, that’s projected to keep rising.
On the other side of the pond, a similar story unfolds. In the UK, online retail accounts for one in every seven purchases.
The FEVAD (Federation of E-Commerce and Distance Selling) reports that in Europe, the UK accounts for the largest e-commerce market, with 81% e-shoppers. What’s more, online sales have grown from 157 billion euros in 2017 to 178 billion euros in 2018.
In Europe as a whole, the e-commerce sector generates a whopping 534 billion euros every year. With the increasing popularity of online retail, the European market is a great opportunity for an English-speaking company to internationalize and extend its client base.
BeTranslated – Specialists in E-commerce Translation
Depending on the product or service your company provides, it can be advantageous to offer a multilingual website. Our experience has proven that an e-commerce translation into Spanish, Korean, Polish or any other target language can vastly increase sales on your website.
When translated and adapted by a professional e-commerce translation agency, your website, marketing messages and transactional communications build trust, look professional and prove that you’re an international business.
The fact is, people are accustomed to shopping online and buying from abroad.
Nowadays, it’s totally normal for someone in Europe to order electronics from Asia. But they’ll only buy from sites that offer accurate information and look trustworthy. Clear, localized communications that feel ‘native’ are essential for building trust. Hence, the need for quality e-commerce translation services.
If you plan to market your business beyond the country you operate in, you could be missing out on sales by offering your site in only one language or by presenting poorly-translated localized versions.
Helping Online Businesses Reach New Markets
For the last fifteen years, our professional translation agency has specialized in e-commerce translation services of websites and online sales funnels.
An effective online sales platform opens a door to potentially lucrative new markets.
Our network of experienced linguists is on hand to translate your website into your languages of choice (or create a multilingual version), on time and within your budget.
Request your free, no obligation quote today.
