Many Europeans would like to avail themselves of the opportunity to shop on foreign websites. Language-related inhibitions ensure however that a large part of these desires will remain unfulfilled. However, multilingual marketing and common sense language adaptation of offers and customer service can provide a substantial sales growth, says the professional group Wiener Sprachendienstleister.
According to Eurostat, in 2010 only 9 percent of Europeans purchased products over the Internet from foreign online stores. Considering the fact that one third of all respondents stated an interest in purchasing from foreign online shops, the question arises as to what constitutes the discrepancy. The two most important factors were concerns about entering credit card information (31%) and language-related barriers (27%). Language therefore plays a decisive role.
An international study conducted by the polling firm Common Sense Advisory confirms this assumption. On average, 52 percent indicated that they buy only from websites in their own language; this figure is even higher in Japan and France. Surprisingly, 64 percent of respondents also stated that they would be willing to pay more for a product whose information is written in their mother tongue and therefore comprehensible.