The global market landscape is constantly changing, and as e-commerce continues to thrive, the demand for product and services are expanding beyond geographical or national borders.

Online stores are catering to a more diverse audience with different languages these days, necessitating the need for multilingual support. 

Providing multilingual support is essential for connecting with customers from various regions and increasing international sales. 

In this article, we will explore eight effective tactics that online stores can employ to offer seamless multilingual support and enhance customer experience.

Use a Chat App to Offer Multilingual Support 

As the demand for online support rises, it’s become more important to expand support services beyond contact forms, emails or phones. Users from different time zones may seek support at various hours or may simply need to communicate with someone in their local language. 

Live chat apps and chatbots are a great option to further deepen customer relationships.

A chat app that offers multilingual support is a practical and effective way to cater to a diverse user base and expand your customer reach. It allows businesses and organizations to communicate with their customers or clients in various languages, breaking down language barriers and improving overall user experience.

Luckily, Chaty provides a feature that allows online stores to offer multilingual support. 

With Chaty, you can offer multiple options for support channels like WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Instagram etc, all on the same widget. 

For instance, if a lot of your customers are from different countries, you can offer them a chance to contact your support agents in their localized languages as shown below.

This not only allows you to localize interactions and provide better support but also increases brand loyalty as customers can trust that their queries and questions will be answered in a language that they understand. 

Identify Target Markets For Localization

When it comes to providing multilingual support in online stores, identifying target markets is a crucial step in the process. 

Understanding the regions and demographics that have the most potential for growth and customer demand will help tailor the multilingual support strategy effectively.

Firstly, you need to conduct thorough market research. This involves delving deep into various regions and understanding their cultural and linguistic diversity. Analyzing data on customer demographics, language preferences, and buying behaviours can provide valuable insights into which markets are most receptive to multilingual support.

Pay attention to the bounce rates, time spent on the site, and conversion rates from different regions. This information will help in prioritizing the languages to be supported based on the existing customer base.

Also, consider economic and social factors that also play a significant role in identifying target markets. Countries or regions with strong economic growth, high internet penetration, and a growing middle class are more likely to be lucrative markets for online stores. 

Based on the insights gathered from the market research, prioritize the languages that will have the most significant impact on the business. It may be beneficial to start with a few languages and gradually expand as the business grows.

Localize Website Content

Localizing website content goes beyond simple translation and involves adapting the entire online platform to cater to the cultural and linguistic preferences of specific target markets. 

When expanding an online store into new regions or countries, it’s essential to consider the unique characteristics of each location to create a personalized and engaging shopping experience for customers.

For instance, this website homepage has been localized based on the available countries being chosen.

Here are some tips to keep in mind when localizing content:

• Translate all text elements, including product descriptions and menus, using professional translators for accuracy.
• Display prices in the local currency and offer preferred payment options for convenience and trust.
• Use visuals that resonate with the target audience’s culture to enhance product relatability.
• Customize promotions for important occasions, showing appreciation for the culture.
• Optimize the website for mobile users, considering regions with heavy mobile reliance.

Hire a Translator 

The one mistake that your online store shouldn’t be making is relying solely on translation tools.

The quality of translation directly impacts how well the website communicates with the target audience in different regions, and it can significantly influence customer satisfaction and overall success in international markets.

As a pro tip, opt for translation services that have expertise in the specific languages you wish to target. Professional translators who are native speakers of the target language and possess subject matter knowledge in relevant industries will ensure accurate and contextually appropriate translations.

Cultural sensitivity is paramount in translation. Translators should be aware of cultural norms, values, and customs to adapt the content accordingly. This ensures that the website content is culturally appropriate and avoids unintentional offence.

Implement User-Friendly Language Switching

Language switching refers to the ability of a website to seamlessly switch between different languages, allowing users to access the content in their preferred language.

To ensure a positive user experience, online stores must prioritize user-friendly language-switching features. 

Make sure the language switcher is easily noticeable and accessible to users. Placing it in a visible location, such as the header or footer of the website, ensures that users can quickly find and use it.

Utilizing recognizable icons or flags representing each language. Consider using a dropdown menu or a popup window to display the available language options. This provides a neat and organized way of presenting multiple languages without cluttering the website’s interface.

Remember to incorporate a cookie-based or account-based language preference system. This way, when users return to the website, their selected language remains the same, saving them the hassle of selecting it again.

Monitor and Analyze Feedback 

Once you have established multilingual support on your online store, it’s crucial to monitor and analyze its performance regularly. 

Monitoring lets you see how well the strategies you’ve put in place are working and if they’re getting the results you want. This ongoing analysis gives you valuable information that can help you improve your multilingual support strategy by making choices based on facts.

Keep an eye on website traffic from different regions and languages. Analyze which languages are driving the most traffic and engagement. This data can help you understand the effectiveness of your language-specific marketing efforts and identify potential areas for improvement.

If you have a multilingual customer support team, track the number of support tickets received in different languages. This can give you an idea of the level of assistance required for each language and help you allocate resources accordingly.

Conclusion

Embracing multilingual support is a strategic and customer-centric move that can have a profound impact on an online store’s success in the global market. 

Adding multilingual support to online stores is not just a simple feature; it is a strategic move with far-reaching implications.

Businesses can tap into new markets and significantly increase their international sales potential. Moreover, reaching out to customers in their native languages enhances customer engagement and fosters a deeper connection with the brand.