GLOBAL INSTINCT AND

LOCAL FLAVOUR
Of Ecommerce websites moving
global

By-DHIRENDRA SINGH
M.B.A 2ND Year
NOVEMBER 2008
G11N

I18N

L10N
 Google
• 115-language search interface.
• Google has also rapidly localized its many
Web-based applications — from Blogger
to Adwords — in up to 40 languages

• Wikipedia – A tough Competitor

• offering content in more than
250 languages
What Makes a Great Global
Web Site?
1. Languages: To reach 80% of the world’s Internet users, you
must support at least 10 languages. The best Web sites support many
.
more

2. Localization: Not only is depth of localized content

essential to success, but so is the localization of elements such
as search engines, promotions, icons, and photos.
3. Global Navigation: Users must be able to find their local
Web sites even if they don’t speak English.

4. Global Consistency: Global design templates not only

support the global brand, they are quite simply a lot easier to manage
internally
 Languages
• Rising Internet penetration, the globalization of business,
and higher user expectations have given rise to the 30+
language Web site.
• Languages Supported: 2005 to 2007
 Localization: Giving Web Users What They
Want
• Content they support and do not support
• Managing internal as well as external
expectations
 Truly Global Navigation
1. Country domain name (like .fr for France)
2. The splash global gateway
3. The permanent global gateway
4. Language negotiation
5. Geolocation
 Global Consistency
• Apple
• a consistent global template allows the company
to more efficiently deploy global promotions
 Challenges faced by websites
moving global
1. Infrastructure
 International Bandwidth
 Cost of Internet use

5. Geographic Distance
 Distribution and restockings
3. Language
 Search engine and directories are
local & language specific.
 Marketing always takes place in buyers
language

4. Buyer Demographics and Behaviour

 Differences in tastes and prefrences
 Differences in holidays
 Price elasticity of demands
4. User demographics-
 Proportion of women Users
 Proportion of urban users

5. Payment System
 Means –Credit cards,COD,Bank
Tranfers
 Legal and cultural norms
 Security
6. Currency
 Quatation price
7. Reputation
 Location of website
 Origin of Products and services
Why Localisation?
 What needs to be
Differentiated?
• Dates displayed
• Numbers displayed
• Currency is used
• What are the sorting and collating rules?
• How should searches work?
• What’s the text direction?
• What is the default paper size?
• Modifying graphics
• Creating new graphics
• Changing colors
• Changing layout
• Modifying tables, forms, data fields,
databases
L18N and L10N of Lands’ End
 Infrences

• Master design Consistent

• Flexibility
• Navigation Consistent
• Deciding what to translate and what
not to
translate—“Guaranteed. Period.”
• “global templates”
 Conclusion
• What to be standardized?
2.Global Template
3.Navigation
4.Master design
What to be Differentiated?
6.Language
7.Colour
8.Downloading Capacity
9.Graphics and icons
 Examples
• Images of Bollywood celebraties on AOL
• Myspace Accepts signups from mobile
phone in Japan
• Google Page –Spartan Korean
Page
• Google losing Traffic to Local Sites in
China & Korea
• AOL Indian Page features – Cricket
• eBay pulled out of Japan in 2002
• Google and univision –For Spanish
 Seven Habits of Highly Successful
Global Web Sites
1. Treat the World Equally
 2 Use a Global Template

.
3 Direct Users to Local Web Sites Immediately
4 Use a Permanent Global Gateway
• 5. Use Bandwidth Wisely
• <200K
• Least Graphics

6. Act Locally
• 7. Never Stop Improving
 References
• www.bytelevel.com
• www.internetretailer.com
• Global development and computing portal
• L10NBridge> Global website white paper
• Papers and work of John Yunker and Shailey
Minocha
• Various company websites e.g ebay ,amazon
dell …
• Translational website
• www.languagepartners.com
• www.google.com