A Web Site Is Not Enough

By S. Alison Chabonais

Too many U.S. companies seeking to grow their market make

the mistake of assuming that international prospects understand and respond

exactly like domestic customers. Building a corporate Web site with U.S.

customers in mind, they cross their fingers and hope that it will work

worldwide as well. Perhaps they plan to “internationalize” later. What every

businessperson must realize is that there is no such thing as a “local” World

Wide Web broadcast. The moment your site goes up, you are an international company.

There is no “phase two.”

“With electronic commerce growing at an exponential rate,

our global village is a market you can’t afford to ignore,” says Sigrid

Tidmore, director of KTM Communications and a specialist in international

business-to-business marketing. “Your job is to make it exceedingly easy for

these buyers to buy.”

Yes, English is the international language of business, yet

more than half of all electronic commerce is occurring outside the United

States. Consider that the most-spoken languages today are Chinese, English,

Spanish and German. Consider that the fastest-growth markets constantly change.

India was a top target a few years ago. Latin America is hot today. Attention

likely will turn to China tomorrow.

And bilingual Web sites are only half the story. “Different

cultures also embrace technologies in different ways,” says Tidmore. Savvy use

of international protocol and competent handling of multicultural inquiries

will make all the difference in the success of your Web marketing.

The following tips from KTM Communications will go a long

way in helping you effect the same courtesies and considerations with your

international prospects that you give to U.S. customers.

1. Include clear information about your business policies,

and how to contact your company.

Not everyone is comfortable with e-mail replies, or placing

orders over the Internet. Pay attention to:

A telephone number — Include a U.S. country code written as

+1 (941) 123-4567.

A fax number — Non-English speakers may prefer to present

written requests. It’s more convenient to fax than call from widely different

time zones.

Hours of business operation — In many countries time is

expressed on a 24-hour clock. Thus, 6:30 p.m. is expressed as 1830 hours.

International buyers may not know their time zone difference relative to

Eastern Standard Time. Solution? Include hours relative to Universal

Coordinated Time (UTC), previously known as Greenwich Mean Time. For example,

“Office Open 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. EST (800-1800 UTC-6).”

Dates — We might say, “Prices Good Through 2/18/01,” but in

many countries this would be expressed 18/2/01. It’s best to write the date as

February 18, 2001 or 18-Feb-01.

Order forms — Foreign addresses are often longer, postal

codes (not ZIP codes) may include letters, and “States” or “Provinces” may not

apply. (For a sample outline of the fields to set up for international order

forms, contact Tidmore at Sigrid@KTMCommunications.com.)

2. Keep graphics simple, or optional, and display critical style='mso-tab-count:1'> information prominently.

Many foreign buyers are accessing the Internet on older

equipment. In making presentations to international clients at their

facilities, you may find yourself waiting long minutes for the simplest pages

to load. For example, a large Guatemala company with up-to-date equipment may

be subject to landlines so dirty that they equate to only 9,600 baud per second

(bps). Hence, the enthusiasm for satellite technologies in developing

countries.

3. Present your story in the 1'> language of your key prospects.

Little effort is required to offer prospects the option of

reading your Web page in another language. In addition to standard languages

like Spanish, German or French, many online services inexpensively provide

Arabic, Japanese, or even Cyrillic text. Imagine a prospect’s comfort in

“clicking on” and reading in their native tongue. You’ll want to note that

orders will be handled in English unless you’re prepared to respond to

multilingual conversation.

4. Send a multicultural greeting.

Since every country has a unique URL address, you can set

your software to auto-detect an international visitor the moment he logs on.

Even if your site isn’t translated in its entirety, this gives you an

opportunity to initiate short multilingual greetings, flags, customized order

forms, or dedicated country pages. Keeping track of visitors’ nationalities

will identify new markets demanding your product.

5. Provide specs for global use.

Although most of the world uses metric measurements, many

U.S. citizens can’t with certainty define a millimeter. It’s easy to indicate

conversions from inches to meters, pounds to kilos, and Centigrade to

Fahrenheit. Depending on the industry you might also need to contrast video

formats, voltage and megahertz demands, plug types, and paper sizes.

6. Make payment painless.

Developing countries remain uncomfortable with online

payments because only limited security encryption equipment was available until

recently. Thus, you’ll want to include a wire transfer option. In every case,

credit cards comprise the easy payment answer. They span all currencies and

allow immediate purchases without bothersome transfers or letters of credit.

Some progressive companies even link their Web catalogs to a currency

conversion calculator, adjusting prices daily into the visitor’s currency.

7. Remind foreign customers on the order form that they will

be responsible for shipping, value-added taxes, and customs duties.

International shippers, like UPS or FedEx, can handle your

e-commerce ordering needs using software that immediately calculates transport

charges worldwide.

As a final word of advice, Tidmore recommends that you ask a

business counterpart familiar with the targeted foreign market to review your

Web site for cultural accuracy. Even if your words make sense, they may prove

culturally awkward or offensive.

“And remember to market your Web site everywhere,” says

Tidmore. Otherwise, no matter how well conceived and constructed, you sabotage

its usefulness. Web site exposure doesn’t need to be expensive. It can be as

direct as citing your Web address on your business cards and advertisements.

High visibility can also come through listings in professional directories,

international journals, search engines and the U.S. Department of Commerce e-commerce

mall. For just $50 a year, this highly active mall site attracts international

business to your company at http://e-expousa.doc.gov.

In an ideal world, all who visit your site would be able to

order your company’s products and services in their own language, custom and

currency. Yet, even without language translations — only the effort to

internationalize a few basics — you’ll create an immensely better global buying

environment for yourself. As the world comes online, developing countries have

to shop somewhere. When they choose to visit your virtual store, be sure they

find your company open and ready to do business.

S. Alison Chabonais is a freelance business writer and

public relations consultant.