The importance of post-launch localisation for international webshops

Written by Søren Kjær Nielsen

It happens over and over. Webshops dedicate a lot of time and resources to localisation during the pre-launch phase of their international business venture.

Then, post-launch, things change.

Newsletters are not localised, customer service emails are not answered in the local language, or perhaps they have been translated with the help of Google Translate.

Proper planning is often the main issue here. Resources must be dedicated to the ongoing translation and localisation of webshop texts and there needs to be a clearly defined plan in terms of customer service. 

The ongoing tasks never stop and therefore must be taken into consideration. Who will do the customer service, who will translate the newsletter and what about the product texts for the next quarter's collection?

Our advice is: Plan like you don’t expect to sell anything.

Don’t let disappointing sales deter you. Sometimes sales will be disappointing.  This is where you should spend your energy understanding why, instead of cutting corners and taking away resources from your marketing team.

Talk to your customers, monitor the performance of your webshop closely, and implement improvements based on your learnings.

Taking this approach, sales will improve and a new adventure can begin.