Clare Schmitt
VP of Marketing & Communications at PGLS
Today’s leading brand marketing teams are increasingly asked to engage global audiences more effectively. It is in their interest to find the most accessible opportunities that align with budgetary requirements and can scale effectively. As digital communication and e-commerce have reduced the barriers to reaching global audiences, authentic and culturally attuned content is key to improving performance and should top the list of considerations.
In an era of noisy feeds and infinite scrolling, brands are up against a significant amount of competition in the attention economy. What drives customer engagement in your region may not translate into another culture. Translating ideas and repurposing existing concepts one-to-one is not the way to stand out.
A survey by CSA Research asked English-as-a-second-language (ESL) consumers in Brazil, China, France, Germany, Japan, Russia, Spain, and Sweden to comment on shopping experiences in English. More than nine out of ten indicated they were much less likely to consider buying a product if it was neither presented in their native language nor adapted to their local preferences. One in six survey respondents would never consider investing in software if it was not offered in their native language.
Do these results surprise you? Plenty of marketers still assume that campaigns and merchandising in English will work for the 1.46 billion people who speak English worldwide. This theory works when language and concepts rely on simple, universal themes. However, with only a fraction of these 1.46 billion people speaking English as their first language, and few campaigns clearing the bar for simplicity, failing to localize content could mean losing out on customers and engagement.
Individuals are more emotionally engaged when interacting with content in their native language. Why? Because familiarity and comfort significantly impact consumer decision-making. Translation and other language services can help bridge the language divide, but this is only the beginning of the process. To improve global reach and performance, brands need to go further, bringing localization into the global go-to-market planning process earlier.
Effective localization adapts translations to convey cultural references, idioms, design sensibilities, humor, and tone. When attempting to reach international markets, remember that translation is only the starting point, and that localization is the key differentiator to help you achieve your objectives.
What Role Does Language Play in Consumer Behavior?
Before we explore the applications of localization in global marketing and merchandising, let’s explore why language is such an important indicator of consumer behavior.
Language shapes how individuals process and perceive information. When applied to a marketing context, language shapes consumers’ emotional connections with brands. Consider the impact if a consumer does not benefit from the ease and access provided by content in their native language. One can extrapolate the challenges to eliciting a comparable emotional response.
For limited-English-speaking audiences, localization reduces the barriers to building a connection to and affinity for brands. This is true even if they have a working knowledge of the language.
How Localization Drives Consumer Engagement
Translation is part of the effort to connect with international customers, but localization is even more expansive. Localization enables brands to reflect locally held beliefs, traditions, context, current events, restrictions, faux pas, and humor.
Getting localization right signals to audiences that brands understand them. Brands perceived to be culturally aware tend to foster deeper emotional connections with their audiences, translating into greater, more enduring customer loyalty.
Reporting over one billion in revenue in 2024, the cosmetic brand e.l.f., a New York-based company, is currently sold in 18 countries. e.l.f. recently launched a localized campaign called “e.l.f. von zehn” (eleven out of ten) that unites the brand’s commitment to quality with German consumers’ preferences for highly rated products. As a play on words, this campaign could only work for German-speaking audiences. Its success comes directly from a well-considered localization strategy, demonstrating the value of elevating local culture through partnerships with localization experts.
Getting culture and localization wrong can be disastrous to engagement, sales, and retention metrics. You would not base your domestic marketing strategy on assumptions; the same must be true for international campaigns. Insufficient local market research or (sometimes) reliance on one-to-one translations of English-language materials can alienate audiences and lead to wasted investments. It is important to gain a thorough understanding of your audience’s culture and language, with the help of trusted market localization experts, to deliver relevant and engaging content that leads to increased sales and conversion.
Impact of Localization on Sales and Conversion Rates
Brands that invest in knowledge of local customs, idiomatic expressions, and societal values are rewarded with elevated trust and loyalty. Studies on neurocognitive processing support this claim, showing that the brain is more efficient at decoding familiar linguistic patterns. This heightened engagement is likely due to the cognitive ease of processing information in one’s native language.
For this reason, localization can also be a strategic investment in higher sales and conversion rates. According to Stripe, customers may abandon purchases when the checkout process is confusing. CSA Research has also consistently found that consumers in non-English-speaking regions are almost always more likely to complete a purchase when product information is available in their local language. To avoid this common pitfall, localizing your checkout workflow can improve sales and conversion rates by reducing unnecessary friction points in the customer journey.
Increase Marketing ROI with Localization
For global brands, the return on investment in localization is clear. Not only does localized marketing lead to increased brand recognition and trust, but it also drives significant improvements in sales conversions. Companies that fail to localize their marketing strategies are missing out on substantial growth opportunities, particularly in non-English-speaking regions, suggesting that brands should prioritize localization in their global expansion efforts.
Brands should not overlook this strong link between localization and long-term performance outcomes. For global brands, localization is not just a marketing tactic but a critical strategy for building trust, loyalty, and long-term growth in international markets. Customers who engage with localized content are more likely to become repeat buyers and advocates for the brand. This loyalty is tied to the emotional connection that localization fosters and the sense of respect and understanding that consumers feel when brands invest in culturally relevant communication. The correlation between localization and long-term retention is especially important for businesses looking to build lasting customer relationships in emerging markets, where brand loyalty can lead to sustained growth.
Learn more about localization from a PGLS expert: contact a language access consultant today.