Localization is adapting a website to better serve local customers in a target market. As more companies look to expand internationally, localization is becoming increasingly important. Localization involves understanding local audiences, designing for local culture and language, optimizing for local search engines, and offering localized payment options. While requiring time and resources, localization can accommodate cultural differences, offer localized products, and give a company a multi-national presence to drive more local traffic and sales. Companies should start small with localization, such as a microsite, to test effectiveness before fully localizing a main website.

1. E-Commerce in India
Localization is crucial
Localization is adapting your website to the marketing needs of users in your defined target
market. A good localization will be a result of deep understanding of local customers.
Localization – Is it the need of the hour?
More and more companies are now days looking at expanding their business to farther lands
and of course in search of more greener pastures. Hence it has become necessary for
companies to go in for localization of their websites.
This is therefore resulting in E-Commerce systems becoming more mature and moreover
international and regional regulations which influence localization matter a lot when a company
is expanding.
Web Customization for Localization - Rules of the Game
Internationalization
Website
Globalization
Localization
1. UNDERSTAND your audience and target customer once you decide for localization
of your website.
2. DEVELOP a style guide which should mention the set standards for designing the
website which will ensure consistency when the website is being translated and will
protect the integrity of the brand.
3. COPYWRITING in sync with the new target market will ensure that your website
appeals to the new target market in the best possible way.
4. DESIGNING of the new localized website will depend a lot on the local culture. The
design may have to be altered a lot and a lot of emphasis has to be paid to the color,
linguistic and cultural appropriateness of the website to target your new audience
effectively.

2. 5. LOCAL SEO plays a major role in the success of your website in foreign grounds.
Proper research has to be done to gauge how the locals talk about your product and the
terminology used to search for products and services which your website is offering.
6. TRANSCREATION is essentially translating the copy of your website to a local
flavor. This will involve your developers to work with the localization engineers to
develop a process required for localization.
7. PAYMENT options have to be in accordance with the local market so that it falls well
inside the comfort zone of the users. For increased online revenues the companies have
to give multiple payment options to users.
An online survey conducted by Asia Pacific Technographics on Indian audience gave the
following results:
Payment Options in India
Credit Card 44%
Debit Card 41%
Payment Options in India
Online Bank Transfer 24%
Cash on Delivery 23%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%
(Base : 1,167 Indian Online adults (18+ & online monthly or more) who bought products online. Multiple responses were accepted)
(Source : Asia Pacific Technographics, Online Survey,Q3,2011)

3. Advantages VS Disadvantages of Localization
Advantages Disadvantages
Accommodate the cultural differences Proper research, time and effort has to be
between two markets e.g. browser put in localizing otherwise the site may
preferences, color symbolism, linguistic draw very less traffic or in a worst
correctness etc. situation not abiding by all the local laws.
Offer localized assortments since most of This can become cumbersome at times to
the times shipping is restricted to within manage.
the specified geography.
Different cultures have different fashion Again an expensive and difficult to manage
trends, household products in short the task.
needs and demands can be very well
catered to with a localized site.
Localizing will give the website a multi- Any company which is looking to take the
national approach since such there are a multi-national plunge should assess their
number of global solution providers for vision of going global and whether going
such platforms and it is growing at a very ahead in this direction will support their
fast pace. vision.
Conclusion
As is very evident from the above discussion that localizing a website is crucial and
beneficial for a company looking to going global but localizing is more about being able
to cope with the cultural differences and linguistic barriers so that you can influence
your target market in a way which drives traffic on your website and influences people
to shop.
Expand in small way i.e. localizing with a micro site rather than a complete website is
always a good idea to gauge the response of your target audience and hence make the
required changes effectively and swiftly.
Shweta Singh I Content I Tangerine Digital Entertainment Pvt. Ltd.
For E-Commerce solutions contact us at : ektad@tangerinedigital.com
Tangerine Digital Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. 2012 I www.tangerinedigital.com I www.tothenew.com