A recent article online, by Business Leader Magazine, suggests that the UK has moved closer to E-commerce dominance amid the Covid-19 pandemic and the ensuing high street lockdown.
It blames the combined threat of “Brexit, stagnant real wages, and increasingly competitive and customer centric e-commerce giants” with starting the shift in consumer habits towards predominantly online shopping, claiming that the recent pandemic will leave the future of the high street highly “uncertain”.
If the predictions are correct, we are likely to see a continuation of e-commerce dominance which will require a shift in priorities by retailers as they move towards virtual stores and away from the traditional bricks and mortar.
This shift will also mean that retailers will need to adapt their websites for increased customer engagement, making allowances for language and cultural differences that haven’t always been necessary for ‘real’ stores.
Below we will take a look at some of the ways in which this change in consumer spending will affect stores, and how professional translation services providers can help organisations engage with consumers and generate brand faith.
• Demographics
Within the UK the average age is now 40, and while many in this older generation have been reluctant to engage with technology and e-commerce, the social distancing measures that were put in place during the pandemic have forced this situation to change.
Older consumers are now using e-commerce at a rate of 15% higher than the same time last year and with more disposable income than the younger generations, they are certainly worth considering as a potential target audience.
Alongside this shift in generational purchasing tendencies, comes the changes linked to migration.
The UK continues to add around 300,000 people, (with the intention of staying at least 12 months) to its population each year through official immigration channels.
Many of these people come from a vastly different cultural backgrounds and speak limited English, yet, according to Oxford Economics “European migrants living in the UK contribute £2,300 more to public purse each year than the average adult” meaning they potentially have a higher than average income, and therefore, more spending power.
Targeting advertising, brand promotions, products and services to immigrant consumers requires a change of language and approach which is best achieved by partnering with a professional translation services provider.
• Language, Translation and Localisation
Targeting a new audience who do not speak your native language requires the help of an expert translation and localisation services provider.
There are numerous benefits to choosing a professional translation partner to work with including:
1. Accuracy – appealing to a new language market requires a high level of accuracy in language, grammar, punctuation, idioms, humour, tone, and so on. Getting it wrong can be costly for your sales and brand
2. Cost – while the initial cost of translation and localisation may seem high, getting it wrong means losing money, time and effort
3. Cultural knowledge – translation professionals are also culture experts who have in-depth knowledge regarding different cultures, their preferences, biases, views, opinions, and so on. They can adapt marketing campaigns, translate websites, localise images or translate product packaging to fit with the cultural norms of a foreign language speaking audience without error or causing offence.
4. Improved customer experience – your brand will benefit from professional translation and localisation as your customers will be happy and satisfied. They will also tell their friends and family all about your great service and products!
5. SEO boost – translating your website into different languages means you’ll need to know the right keywords for Search Engine Optimisation (SEO). A professionally executed translation project for your website should take account of favoured keywords so that your site ranks higher in searches.
Organisations that make the most of this e-commerce preference by choosing to translate their website for non-native speaking UK residents will also benefit from potential increases in sales from overseas markets.
With each successive language translation of your website the potential reach of your brand increases.
Consumers will be looking for the personal touch of a high street store, but with the ease of an online store.
Brand faith and ethics will likely play a large part in older consumers’ spending preferences (especially through these troubling times) so ensuring that customers can see ethical choices are supported by the organisation, and they are given the best deals, best quality, best service and best accessibility (in terms of language) is vital to success.
If you would like to discuss your translation project with one of our experts please contact the Creative Word on 44 (0)20 8408 2268, or use our online contact form here.
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