BLEND, a Tel Aviv-based language service provider specializing in artificial intelligence (AI)-powered localization, recently conducted a report on the localization metrics the 50 top eCommerce sites (as ranked by Similar Web) on the internet right now.
The report, which was released early on Oct. 26, suggests that eCommerce sites with extensive localization tend to perform best, as they’re able to draw a significant amount of traffic from foreign markets. According to the report, 46% of the top 50 eCommerce sites offer their services in more than four different languages, while 16 of them receive 20% or more of their traffic from outside countries.
“We see this trend of global multilingual expansion among large brands and small sellers alike, and COVID-19 had a lot to do with it,” said Yair Tal, CEO of BLEND. “From a pound of tomatoes to a brand-new Tesla, shoppers, regardless of age or previous shopping habits, adapted their habits to suit the new pandemic-shaped retail reality and they prefer brands that speak their language.”
Tal added that the report found that companies such as Shein, Samsung, and Apple — all of which offer their websites in more than 30 languages worldwide — draw more than half of their online traffic from foreign markets. According to the report, the brand receiving the most foreign traffic was China-based Aliexpress, which receives about 91% of its traffic from foreign countries. In total, nine websites received more than 50% of their traffic from foreign markets.
The report notes that, ultimately, a “global multilingual expansion plan” is critical to an eCommerce brand’s worldwide success. In response to this, BLEND devised a four-step localization model specifically geared toward eCommerce brands looking to expand their global outreach. The model has been included in the company’s report.
“As eCommerce is booming and borderless, localization serves as a major growth engine and mistakes are known to affect conversion and perception,” said Hila Shitrit Nissim, the company’s chief marketing officer. “Our … model helps us guarantee a coherent and polished customer experience that shows a significant increase in conversion rates of shoppers.”
