3 Tips for Reaching Global Consumers

Cultural variances are present in brick-and-mortar stores, from what products are offered to how they're merchandised, but these nuances are often lost online. Too often, language is an afterthought. In today's global economy, retailers that are able to replicate the in-store experience and provide a localized approach to online shopping will have a significant advantage.

Contextual marketing is especially important when it comes to reaching savvy, online millennial shoppers. This generation has more than $200 billion in direct spending power according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, so engaging with them needs to be a priority for retailers. SDL recently surveyed 1,800 millennials worldwide to understand more about how they make purchasing decisions. It found that language plays a critical role.

The findings revealed that being culturally sensitive goes a long way when engaging consumers. Consider these three tips for embracing your customers’ preferences, domestically or abroad:

1. Build a language and cultural content strategy. Forty-six percent of millennials surveyed by SDL said they're more likely to make a purchase if information is presented in their preferred language. Retailers are likely already collecting cultural preferences, including language along with other data sets. If so, the next natural step is to decide how to leverage this data to engage consumers. Consider looking into more sophisticated possibilities rather than simply offering two to three language options on your website, such as translation services.

These days, millennials are paying attention to how technology is used to market to them, so simply offering local language websites, ad hoc and last-minute fixes aren't nearly enough. If you can provide relevant experiences, you'll have the ability to engage with your customers on their terms.

2. Target consumers in their native, not geographic language. Consumers live in multilingual settings, even within the same country. In the United States, for example, one in four millennials reported that they speak another language at home. In other English-speaking countries, the percentage is 32 percent. By being culturally sensitive and not making assumptions based on geographic location, retailers have an opportunity to reach between a quarter and third more consumers. If you embrace a localization strategy that's grounded in customer engagement preferences and connects with them through culture and conversation that isn't limited to geographic boundaries, it will be easier to establish trust with your customers.

3. Keep the conversation active beyond the sale. Continue the conversation in the customer's language beyond pre-sale, purchase and support, as this is a critical element to relationship building. Making a wide range of self-service assets accessible for customers in their language will keep them coming back and engaging with your brand. Five out of six millennials reported to SDL that they connect with brands over social networks, which is a great opportunity to foster engagement with potentially loyal customers beyond the sale in a way that can expand your reach. When customers share information in their language of choice with their networks, it opens the door for you to expand your presence in cultural market segments.

In the global economy, cultural borders are difficult to define, so retailers need to be prepared to interact with sensitivity and awareness of language preferences. If localization strategies are adopted, consumers will feel compelled to share content and foster brand advocacy in their language of choice, and this will give your website and brand a truly global appeal.

Paige O'Neill is the chief marketing officer of SDL, a customer experience management company.