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(July 7, 2020) – Based on a survey of 8,709 global consumers in 29 countries in Europe, Asia, North America, and South America, CSA Research found that 76% of online shoppers prefer to buy products with information in their native language. In addition, 40% will never buy from websites in other languages. These findings, and hundreds of other online consumer buying preferences, are detailed in “Can’t Read, Won’t Buy – B2C,” a new report by independent market research firm CSA Research.
As a continuation of the firm’s long-running “Can’t Read, Won’t Buy” series, CSA Research again worked with survey specialist Kantar. To gather the verified and comprehensive sample, Kantar vetted 31,933 consumers around the globe, eliminating thousands via its patented Honesty Detector software, filters, and trap questions to yield the verified 8,709 responses. The results, which were analyzed by CSA Research, provide reliable data to make the ROI case for delivering localized content throughout the customer journey.
The 29-nation survey, which included Brazil, China, Egypt, France, Germany, Indonesia, Japan, Spain, Russia, and Turkey, was conducted in the official language of each country, plus Spanish in the U.S. Specifically, the research assessed online language preferences and their subsequent impact on purchasing decisions. Factors including nationality, English-language proficiency, global brand recognition, and the ability to conduct transactions in local currencies were included in the study.
The findings of this study have great significance to global businesses. “There is a longstanding assumption that enough people feel comfortable using English online, especially when buying high tech or expensive products,” comments Dr. Donald A. DePalma, CSA Research’s Chief Research Officer. “Our 2020 findings show that if a company chooses to not localize the buying experience they risk losing 40% or more of the total addressable market—the consumers that prefer selecting and buying products at local-language sites. While they may want the products or experiences on the English-language site, most would rather think, act, and buy in their own language.”
The research also shows that nationality increases the demand for local-language content in online transactions. In particular, the percentage of those who buy only at local-language websites in Germany leads the study with the largest amount of consumers at 57%. Six other national samples voiced more than 50% agreement with this preference. Additional top-level findings include:
Additional findings and best practices detailed in the 100-page report include:
There is more to cross-border purchasing behaviors than language. Privacy, payment methods, delivery, and customs are major components of a global strategy and can affect the customer online experience.
“Considering the data from our survey, there should be no question about localizing your website and product information if you want to sell more goods or services to global customers,” concludes Dr. DePalma. “Localization improves customer experience and increases engagement in the brand dialogue. It should be a rigorously planned and executed business strategy for any company looking to grow internationally.”
Recently released research, “ROI of Customer Engagement," factors the 2020 “Can’t Read, Won’t Buy – B2C” data into the customer journey, preliminary data from the upcoming B2B report, and the impact of language on total addressable market (TAM).
The reports are published as part of the firm’s syndicated research membership. For more information, visit www.csa-research.com or contact sales@csa-research.com.
About CSA Research
CSA Research, formerly Common Sense Advisory, is an independent market research company helping companies profitably grow their global businesses and gain access to new markets and new customers. Its focus is on assisting its clients to operationalize, benchmark, optimize, and innovate industry best practices in globalization, internationalization, localization, interpreting, and translation.
Tweet: When given the choice between two similar products, 76% of consumer across 29 nations prefer to buy the product with information in their native language - http://ow.ly/4zsw50AnoRT. Source: #CRWB2020 research series, @CSA_Research
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