A Retailer s Guide to Going Global

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2 Go Global: A Retailer s Guide to Translation A Retailer s Guide to Going Global In the past, selling internationally was seen as something only larger companies with international hubs, warehousing abroad, massive backoffice support and thousands of staff could achieve. However, with a shift in shopping habits and the growth of e-commerce, retailers of all sizes are discovering that going global is not only a possibility, but a necessity in today s economy. ChannelAdvisor has partnered with LanguageWire, a leading translation company, to create this Retailer s Guide to Going Global: Translation ebook. By understanding the issues and most common mistakes retailers encounter when approaching overseas selling, such as translation and culture, you can prepare and ensure your expansion is as successful as possible. With 95 percent of the potential customers for U.S. goods and services living outside the United States, exporting provides vast potential for American businesses - US Dept. Of Commerce

3 Go Global: A Retailer s Guide to Translation Why expand? Expanding internationally is a driver for innovation as retailers realize that what sells well in Germany is somewhat different from their US offering. This can push development of new and exciting solutions that would never have been realized within the home market. Further, selling to different regions helps many retailers counteract challenges such as seasonality. Many sellers in verticals such as sports and outdoor equipment, home and garden and apparel have found that when the summer season ends in one region, they can sell to other regions at a similar cost. Not only does this boost revenue, it also avoids the common problem of excess inventory. International sales at [Dell, Mattel and Apple] and many others are growing far faster than domestic ones. - Zia Wigder VP, Research Director, ebusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals Forrester Research Inc.

4 Go Global: A Retailer s Guide to Translation What should you consider when expanding? 3 What makes you unique? 3 Will there be a market for your products? 3 Who is your target in this market? 3 Do you have sufficient resources? If you are serious about trading internationally, you will want to think about how to research, target and grow a presence in overseas markets. But how should you begin? How do you know whether exporting is right for you? Before you commit to exporting you need to honestly assess your export potential both in terms of the readiness of your business and of your product or service. Once you have assessed whether expanding is viable or not, create your export plan and begin getting your product offering translated.

5 Go Global: A Retailer s Guide to Translation What part does language and translation play in international expansion? There is simply no room in the market for a company that wishes to export but does not localize its messaging. Competition is stiff, especially in online retail, so make sure your business acts like any local business. According to the United Kingdom s e-retail industry association, IMRG, while English is the prevalent language spoken online, other languages are widely searched and used. After English (26.8%) the most requested languages on the web are Chinese (24.2%), Spanish (7.8%), Japanese (4.7%), Portuguese (3.9%), German (3.6%), Arabic (3.3%), French and Russian (3% each), and Korean (2%). These figures show that by offering your product in English alone, you are dramatically reducing the size of your target market. Secondly, and particularly if you are moving into a Western European market, there are excellent local competitors who do speak the language. If you do not localize, you are instantly reducing any chance of a positive Google search, much less a sales opportunity. Most importantly, you also run the risk of not explaining your product correctly, leading to unhappy clients, returns, dissatisfaction and a poor reputation. Remember, good reputations take years to build, but a bad reputation can be cultivated in a much shorter time period and can be detrimental to your business. There is simply no room in the market for a company that wishes to export but does not localize its messaging.

6 Go Global: A Retailer s Guide to Translation How large a consideration should culture be in going global? Translation is about getting across the exact meaning, not the exact wording. Fortunately, a professional in-country translator will be steeped in the culture of the target country. A linguist who has expertise not only in language but also in localisation will be able to meet those cultural needs successfully. This is easy to see when we go abroad and look at newspaper or billboard adverts, even in English. For example, take the common British word fancy that is used often in advertising in the UK but would not resonate in the US. Similarly, every other culture has its own particular dos and don ts that a professional translator will know inside out. Failure to meet these cultural needs will mean a business will, at best, not reach its potential and, at worst, offend and confuse its new audience.

7 Go Global: A Retailer s Guide to Translation Finally... Engage with a language services provider and other industry experts the day you decide to go global, not the day you make your first sale. They can save you thousands of dollars in wasted effort and will help you through the demands of a new market, the language barriers and the cultural sensitivities you will encounter. Don t forget, when going global you should act like a local and get it right from the start. About LanguageWire LanguageWire is an enterprise-level provider of high quality human translation and translation management technologies. As an international company, LanguageWire manages large, global projects whilst also being agile enough to turnaround smaller, but equally important assignments. LanguageWire s technology platform, AGITO, is a cloud-based translation management system that automates workflow processes, connects translators, manages terminologies, and stores and manages translation assets to dramatically reduce time and costs. Other solutions such as Live Translate, a 30-minute translation service, make LanguageWire accessible to small companies as well as to large enterprises with small, immediate requirements. LanguageWire works with 2,000 clients of all sizes including ChannelAdvisor, Nike, P&G, Pfizer, Samsung and Targus. LanguageWire operates out of offices in Copenhagen, Hamburg, London, Munich, Oslo, Stockholm and Turku. LanguageWire has over 100 full-time staff that are supported by a network of 6,000 subjectspecialist translators. In the $31 billion language services marketplace LanguageWire is ranked in the Top 30 global translation and localization providers. For more information please visit:

8 About ChannelAdvisor ChannelAdvisor is a leading provider of cloud-based e-commerce solutions that enable retailers and manufacturers to increase the scale and profitability of their global sales through dozens of online channels including Amazon, Google, ebay, Facebook and more. Through automation, analytics and optimization, ChannelAdvisor leverages a single inventory feed to more efficiently list and advertise products online, connecting suppliers with shoppers to increase sales. Billions of dollars in sales are driven through ChannelAdvisor every year, and thousands of customers depend on ChannelAdvisor to substantially grow their businesses. For more information, visit Trust us. Be Seen. To learn more: Call UK AU Visit marketing@channeladvisor.com The global standard for e-commerce leaders.