Unlimited energy and motivation to achieve what seems to be impossible – this is the profile of many start-ups that appear on the market year after year. Once your start-up stage is set up and you’re on the way to reach more customers, generate new business and raise more funds, it might be a good time to consider localisation.  There are many benefits of localising your online store when you’re still starting up. Below you can see 4 key reasons to launch your store in multiple languages as soon as possible.

1. Reaching a wider audience

If you’re setting up your online store, chances are you’re struggling to reach out to potential customers and visitors. Sure, social media, guest blog posts or industry events might help to increase your presence, but translating and adapting your e-store to other markets will quickly intensify your marketing results. By launching your website in more languages (you can start from 2 or 3), you’ll be able to attract customers from different parts of the world that are looking for your unique products. Of course, you’ll need to localise items such as payment systems, currency or weights and measures to make sure that the content is relevant to your foreign visitors. But once all key elements are in place, your reach can be potentially unlimited.

2. Generating more revenue

Building sustainability and generating profits is what matters for most of the start-ups at the initial phase. You might be testing the market, building new business models, implementing changes and testing again, just to figure out the best way to keep your business afloat. It’s never too early for localisation, if you want to grow internationally and increase your profits with minimal efforts. A thorough market research, correct adaptation and skilful translation of your e-commerce website doesn’t have to cost a fortune and will help you generate more sales. In fact, a study run by Common Sense Advisory found out that companies that invest in translation and localisation are 1.5 times more likely to increase their total revenue. This sounds quite promising, even if you’ve only just launched your online business.

3. Building trust in your products

Great design and unique products might not be enough to grow your online store. To convert accidental visitors across the world into your regular customers, you’ll need to gain their trust and loyalty. By adapting the content to their needs, e.g. changing the currency or presenting the text in their language, you can prove that even on the start-up phase you prioritise the comfort level and confidence of your store visitors. In fact, by adapting to the expectations and culture of your target customers, your brand will come across as more trustworthy. And customer’s trust and loyalty is exactly what the start-ups need to enter the next stage of the business life cycle.

4. Creating more business opportunities

Once your localised online store reaches more users and increases its online presence, you’ll open the door to more business opportunities. And not just on one market, but in as many markets as your localised store can reach. New business partners, mobile apps for your store, new products from new suppliers – a localised website can help you grow and expand your business network and lead to more exciting opportunities.

It’s never too early to go global and take advantage of benefits of localisation. Adapting your online store to new markets can speed up your business expansion and help your brand reach a more established stage in a shorter time.    

Dorota Pawlak

Dorota helps digital brands infuse their content with a local touch. She is a localization consultant, translator specialized in IT, prompt engineer, and a book author. Dorota teaches online courses on localization, writes for her blog and a Medium publication. She also runs a Small Biz AI, a Substack newsletter for freelancers and small business owners ready to discover handy AI tools.