When you’ve successfully launched a product within your home market, you’ll inevitably begin to consider expanding to new territories to continue your growth. However, not every country values the same things, even when they speak the same language. Because of this, you might need to adjust your product to suit local needs.
Product localization helps you do that. This article covers the basics of why you should localize your product, how you can introduce a product localization strategy, and the challenges you might face when you do so.
Product localization is the process of adapting a product to meet the specific language, cultural, and functional requirements of a particular market or region.
Localization is more than simply translating content into a new language and can involve modifying design elements, adjusting marketing strategies, and ensuring compliance with local regulations.
You should consider product localization mandatory when launching products within non-local markets in order to maximize the chances of success, delivering benefits such as:
Whenever you’re planning to launch within a new geographical market, consider the following key steps:
Famous examples of product localization efforts include:
Netflix effectively localizes its content for different markets by not only providing subtitles or dubbing but also by producing original shows tailored to local culture; for example “Money Heist” in Spain and “Sacred Games” in India.
This approach has significantly expanded its subscriber base globally, as viewers find content that resonates with their cultural backgrounds, leading to increased engagement and satisfaction.
In the 1990s, Pepsi launched a campaign in China with the slogan “Pepsi brings you back to life.” The literal translation implied that Pepsi could bring ancestors back from the dead, which was culturally insensitive and misunderstood.
The campaign faced backlash, and Pepsi had to re-strategize its marketing approach in China, highlighting the importance of understanding local culture and nuances.
These case studies highlight the critical role of cultural understanding in localization. Successful localization can lead to greater market acceptance and growth, while failures can result in misunderstandings and negative perceptions.
Product localization can present several challenges that need to be overcome. Some of the most common ones are:
Navigating cultural nuances and sensitivities can be complex, as what works in one market may not resonate or may even offend in another. It takes knowledge of the local market to be able to identify and successfully address these differences.
Adapting products to support multiple languages and format of currency or measurements can be technically challenging and resource-intensive. Where designs might cater for short words in one language the same word in another language might be considerably long.
For example, the English word beef is Rindfleisch in German and the word sink in English is lavamanos in Spanish.
Maintaining a consistent brand voice and messaging while adapting to local needs can be difficult. Many products have changed names to maintain global consistency, while others continue to operate with local variations.
In 2000, the name of the cleaning product Jif was changed in the UK to Cif to match other European countries, while in the Philippines and India, the global brand Domestos is actually called Domex.
Gathering and integrating user feedback from diverse markets can be challenging, especially when addressing varied customer expectations. If you’re looking to maintain a consistent global brand but one market prefers blue and another red, you’re faced with a difficult decision on how to best incorporate feedback.
Addressing these challenges requires careful planning, skilled teams, and a commitment to understanding and adapting to local markets.
Ultimately, there’s no easy approach to launching products in multiple countries. The globalization of your product opens up opportunities for growth, however, every new market comes with its own challenges and idiosyncrasies which need to be addressed and this can only be done with a thoroughly thought out product localization strategy.
Good luck, and comment with any questions.
Featured image source: IconScout
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