App Localization: A Game-Changer for Global Expansion
The mobile app market is a global powerhouse. Currently valued at just over $225 billion, and expected to grow at a pace of nearly 15% CAGR to top the $750 billion plateau in less than ten years. Tapping into that market requires more than just expanding your product on app marketplaces around the globe. Perhaps paradoxically, it requires going local. The argument could be made that app localization is the key to unlocking and succeeding in global markets.
Test nearly any major business or consumer-facing app in multiple countries, and you will begin to see the truth behind that argument. In productivity, shopping, and gaming apps, you will see subtle differences in language, visuals, and even calls to action that adjust to that culture. Get it right, and your localization efforts will be a game-changer for global expansion. But naturally, you have to get it right.
The Basics: What is App Localization?
At its core, the definition of app localization is simple. It is the process of adjusting your app for the local audiences and cultures you are trying to reach. Rather than duplicating the app in a different language, which would be a simple translation, it requires considering many cultural nuances.
For example, it includes modifying visual elements to communicate the intended message. Colors convey different meanings, as do icons and images. A single person using a product in an individualistic culture may be as influential as a group of people using the product together in a collectivist culture.
Language is undeniably important, but true app localization goes much deeper. It focuses on tailoring the entire user experience to align with cultural nuances. The app's functionality needs to adhere to the needs of each audience, taking into account technical differences that reflect how various cultures prefer to interact with their mobile devices.
Ultimately, app localization ensures the app achieves its intended goals across diverse audiences. Each culture may require a unique approach to reach that destination. By embracing differences, you can maximize your chances of successfully engaging new audiences.
5 Reasons to Localize Your App for Global Expansion
Maximizing your chances of reaching core goals highlights why app localization can be a business game changer. More specifically, it offers five key benefits that make it essential for any organization aiming to go global:
1. Improve Local User Experience
Users are more likely to embrace apps that align with their comfort levels. They prefer easy understanding rather than having to adjust their thinking or risk misunderstanding your message. Localization makes the experience feel more personalized—a key component in taking brands global.
2. Boost App Engagement
Enhanced user experience naturally leads to higher engagement. When language, visuals, and functionality meet users’ expectations, they are more likely to follow the intended paths and spend more time on your platform.
3. Build Credibility and Goodwill
Research consistently shows that audiences prefer content in their native language. Taking the extra step to tailor your app to their preferences not only builds goodwill but also fosters trust in your brand. Users will recognize that you have their best interests at heart.
4. Expand Market Potential
A significant portion of your audience in different cultures may struggle to engage with content that isn’t designed with their expectations in mind. For these users, localizing your app puts your brand into consideration, thereby expanding your market potential.
5. Increase User Retention and Conversion
Finally, app localization can significantly boost your revenue in global markets. Localization is not just a nice-to-have feature for your mobile app; it’s essential. If you’re planning to expand into new markets and cultures, localization becomes a critical step toward achieving long-term, sustainable success.
How to Succeed in App Localization
The benefits of app localization can be substantial, but realizing them requires taking tangible steps from the outset. Although advanced technologies like machine translation and artificial intelligence can significantly aid the process, they cannot fully replace the human touch.
Plan Localization From the Beginning
Localization can only be successful at scale when it is not a final step. While localizing content often necessitates adjustments in formatting and coding, these considerations should be part of the initial development process.
Of course, that approach isn’t always feasible. However, taking a localized approach to the initial build—or at least one considering future localization—can pay off significantly. Even simple measures like avoiding hard-coding a 12-hour time cycle or using ISO codes can go a long way.
Create a Brand Style Guide
Creating a detailed brand style guide that translation software or professionals can use in the localization process is essential. Outline your brand platform, including external-facing elements like a tagline and the core brand essence, differentiators, and personality.
A version of this style guide may already exist in your organization. In that case, the key is ensuring it is relevant to any cultures you plan to enter. Start codifying as much as possible to keep your brand accurate and authentic as you localize your mobile app.
Scale Your Localization Efforts with Language Automation Techniques
Once the fundamentals are in place, you can begin the localization process. This always starts with leveraging technology to translate content efficiently.
Modern language automation efforts, like machine translation and AI-enabled localization, have made great strides toward building a baseline for translating content relevant to future audiences. More importantly, they can undertake that effort at scale, allowing you to expand into more cultures and markets through a higher number of personalized app varieties.
These techniques and technologies still have limitations, but they cover 80% to 90% of the localization process, allowing for more effortless finishing touches that prepare your app for local markets faster.
App localization is a game-changer. It enables you to unlock new markets and dramatically boost your revenue potential. But you have to get the fundamentals right and use scalable techniques to make localization realistic and achievable.