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Did you know that 75% of global consumers prefer to buy products in their native language, and nearly 60% are unlikely to purchase from English-only websites? Hence, it’s undoubted that you should translate your site materials so that your message is digestible within that unique region. Many companies have armed themselves with localized websites toward audiences’ preference and earned extra points in the local markets. Here are 4 multilingual website examples to get you started.
Read more: 5 Mind-Blowing Product Localization Examples You Can’t Miss
KFC is one of the most popular fast-food chains with 23,000 locations in more than 140 countries. For each type of market, they use different strategies. The brand has also developed a local version for each site to reflect their local fact.
Let take a look at how the British version is presented. You will soon find a big drive to get customers to order online or via the app. The illustration of the phone in the secondary banner also emphasizes the message that KFC can be delivered to you quickly and conveniently. This also indicates the preference for using food delivery services in the UK. The missing of a specific menu, price, and location on the homepage are intentionally customized to fit this characteristic of the country.
If you take a glance at the French version, you may find everything is different from the mentioned EU friend. The header has far few options, the search bar for the nearest restaurant is presented right at the top of the site. It reflects the fact that French people prefer restaurant dining. Additionally, there is a rotating slider promoting in-store offers in Euros to attract customers to visit the local restaurants.
The next multilingual website example we want to mention is Nescafé. The famous coffee brand also demonstrates that they truly care about customer experience on their website. By adapting the site separately, they want to make sure that it suits the preference of the local market.
Targeted toward the US market, their homepage exposes to visitors with a static logo and short paragraph customized. It also follows Western ideals with the background video appeals to the trend of video marketing across the country.
Turning to the Japanese version, you will encounter a completely different look from the US site. Featuring a more modular concept, the site adapts to a market with more interest in descriptions and photos than simplicity. The site also places the Nescafé parent company Nestle’s logo in the header, which is very famous among the Japanese audience.
As one of the biggest payment companies and also being the largest card issuer in the world, Visa spares no effort to speak the customer languages and get to know more about their interest and preference. Hence, their site is available in 214 language versions for almost every country on the planet.
When it comes to each version, the design is the same across the board but still reflects the changes made for local preferences. Take a closer look at the British version, the main content concentrates on services with sponsorship, events, and FinTech solution. Cards and their relating services are quite obsolete on the site as it’s already widespread and accepted in this country. As such, there isn’t a single picture related to Visa card on the homepage.
However, there is a noticeable difference when it comes to German websites. There’s a clear drive to promote the use of contactless and app-based paying which is not as popular as it is in the UK. You can instantly recognize at least 6 images of individuals using Visa products such as cards, mobile app, or smartwatch to buy an item, compared to zero on the English counterpart.
As an international symbol of conservation and animal welfare, WWF attempts to keep its site informative to global viewers. To boost the interest and the success of their ongoing campaign. Hence, they focus more on adapting their content to the right audience rather than remaking the website layout.
If you take a look at WWF’s Indian site, you may find it quite similar to its main US and UK pages. But if you look very closely, it’s clear that the site is full of links to articles on local issues. Let’s take the plight of the tiger as an example, which is more relevant to the Indian audience. Similarly, the Canadian site also mentioned the rising threat to the Canadian salmon population. Besides, the Vietnamese version updated about tightening up the controls of illegal wildlife trade in this Asia country.
There’s no precise answer when it comes to developing the perfect multilingual site in a new market. However, all of the above examples have proved that the success in making local consumers familiar with global brands may come from a willingness to adapt to the culture you’re targeting.
