How to localise my products
19th February 2024
Localising your products involves adapting them to the specific cultural and linguistic needs of your target market.
Crafting a product that resonates with potential customers in a specific market is increasingly complex. Irrespective of their geographic location, customers want a smooth, personalised buying journey in their purchasing experience. This is where the importance of localisation becomes evident.
Localisation involves more than just text translation. It involves adapting various elements to suit the local context of a target market, including:
- Product features
- Images and graphics
- Cultural references (symbols, icons, idioms, etc.)
- Date and time formats
- Pricing, currency and payment methods
- Measurement units
- Legal and regulatory compliance
- Branding and messaging
- Content (blog posts, landing pages, etc.)
- Promotional channels (search engines, social media, paid ads, etc.)
- Help content and customer support channels (knowledge bases, chatbots, etc.)
How do I localise my products?
1. Conduct Market Research:
- Identify your ideal customer in the new market. Consider demographics, cultural nuances, buying habits and language preferences.
- Analyse how competitors operate in the target market. Identify their strengths and weaknesses to gain insights.
- Research any regulations or legal requirements specific to your product and target market.
2. Adapt Your Product
- Translate all product information including user manuals, packaging, delivery options and marketing materials into the local language. Use a professional translation agency to ensure accuracy and cultural sensitivity.
- Consider any cultural adjustments needed for design, colours, imagery, or product features. For example, avoid colours with negative connotations in the target culture.
- Depending on the product, you may need to adapt technical specifications to meet local standards or regulations.
3. Localise your marketing and sales
- Develop culturally relevant marketing material by adapting your marketing messages, visuals and channels to resonate with your target audience. Leverage local influencers and marketing channels.
- Research local pricing strategies and offer popular payment methods in the target market.
- Provide customer support in the local language and consider local time zones for optimal service.
4. Additional tips
- Start small. If resources are limited, localise your product for one target market first before expanding further.
- Work with local experts. Partner with a translation agency for deeper market insights and guidance.
- Test your localised product with potential customers in the target market and refine it based on their feedback.
- Stay updated on changing market trends and cultural shifts to continually adapt your localised product.
Finally, localisation is an ongoing process, not a one-time effort. By continuously adapting your product and message to the needs of your target market, you can build a strong brand presence and achieve success in international markets.
I hope this helps! Let us know if you have any further questions about specific aspects of product localisation.
