Contact Us:
T: +44 0 1603 766 800
E: info@foolproof.co.uk

Skip to content

If you're going global, stay local

Added ( 10-07-2008 )

 

Having worked recently in multiple regions, we have learnt that whilst many shopping behaviours are similar from one region to another, you must acknowledge cultural and behavioural differences, and tailor your ecommerce offering to the expectations of local users.

The first thing to observe is that there is a surprising level of consistency about the way we all shop online, irrespective of the countries we live in. We found that up to 80% of shoppers' online behaviours and shopping styles are very similar when it comes to making choices on brands, products and services. This is good news for the global brand manager, as it means many of the user journeys and online experiences can be ported across many country sites.

However, there are also some very important instances where a local or regional flavour affects shoppers' reactions and behaviours. For instance, in Asia there are very real differences, when compared to the West, in user expectations of the level and depth of the content that can be presented on web pages. Asian users appear far more comfortable with pages that Western users would call busy and cluttered. Any site that fail to meet local design 'norms' will be less trusted and perform less well, than those that invest time and effort in designing sites to be sympathetic to local preferences.

On a similar vein, audiences across the world are more receptive to sites if they are able to demonstrate a commitment to the local market. Most users don't mind dealing with a global brand if it clearly demonstrates that it recognises the audience's nationality, culture and language, and demonstrates some tangible investment in it.

Finally, a word about search. It's important to recognise that your .com global or home nation site may feature more prominently in search listings than your regional .kr, .fr or.ie sites. Therefore, it is vital that you invest in improving SEO and sponsored listings whilst also making sure it is easy for users to find their local site from your global home page.

« Back to NewsNext News Article »