AUTO-TRANSLATE WON'T WIN EU SHOPPERS

Summary from the TLDR Marketing newsletter

Auto translation can make an ecommerce site readable, but human localization is needed to make it credible and convert shoppers. CSA Research found that 40% of consumers would not buy from a website in a foreign language, while only 20% of Germans and 13% of Poles bought from sellers in other EU countries in 2024. Brands should start with one or two high potential markets, localize product and transactional content, and use native speakers to review sales critical pages, checkout, returns, and emails. Track conversion, search traffic, and engagement by market to identify localization gaps and decide where to expand.