| With Google reporting that over 50% of
| |
| | million users and it is one of the
|
| their traffic comes from multilingual
| |
| | fastest growing markets on the internet.
|
| searches, it has become crucial to
| |
| | Japan, with 86 million users, has nearly
|
| consider developing a multilingual online
| |
| | reached its maximum potential with almost
|
| presence. However, the question remains
| |
| | 70% of its population online. A very
|
| the same: Which markets to target? Which
| |
| | small proportion of online users in China
|
| ones are the most important in terms of
| |
| | own a credit card or even have the right
|
| users, etc.?
| |
| | to order what they want, while in Japan
|
| First of all, let's see which parts of
| |
| | it is exactly the reverse.
|
| the world feature the most users.
| |
| | Once again, no one should confuse the
|
| Contrary to general belief, it is not
| |
| | amount of users versus the buying power
|
| North America! With close to 400 million
| |
| | of a given market.
|
| users, Asia definitely takes the lead,
| |
| | On the other hand, one needs to consider
|
| followed by Europe with approximately 315
| |
| | the worth of Third World markets
|
| million users, in comparison to 232
| |
| | economically disadvantaged countries. For
|
| million in North America (North America
| |
| | instance, countries like Bangladesh,
|
| being defined as the U.S., Canada, and
| |
| | Mozambique, Somalia, etc., might not seem
|
| Mexico).
| |
| | very attractive at first. However, in
|
| In my extensive experience with
| |
| | Third World markets, those online are
|
| multilingual online applications, I have
| |
| | affluent and wealthy. In those countries,
|
| learned over the years to differentiate
| |
| | there is no middle class. Basically, you
|
| clearly the amount of users versus the
| |
| | are either dirt poor or filthy rich!
|
| market potentiality of a product or a
| |
| | Online users in those countries belong to
|
| service. For example, the Hispanic online
| |
| | the the second category. Many online
|
| market (between South and Central
| |
| | gambling portals and entertainment
|
| America, the U.S., the Caribbean and
| |
| | websites of all kinds have found high
|
| Spain) features slightly more users than
| |
| | spenders in
|
| the French-speaking market. But when it
| |
| | economically-disadvantaged-markets. In
|
| comes to buying power, countries like
| |
| | fact, wealthy individuals in Rwanda or
|
| France, Belgium, Switzerland and Canada
| |
| | Chad do not have many entertainment
|
| (Quebec) have so much more buying power
| |
| | outlets in their homeland! Furthermore,
|
| than Peru, Bolivia or Chile!
| |
| | most everything is lacking within their
|
| More than just buying power, we need to
| |
| | country infrastructure: clothing,
|
| look at the cultural ramifications
| |
| | electronics, etc. Online applications
|
| involved in internet behaviors. In other
| |
| | have therefore become a form of
|
| terms, is a specific market used to
| |
| | "entertainment salvation" for the wealthy
|
| ordering & transacting online? For
| |
| | minorities of third world markets.
|
| instance, compared to its amount of
| |
| | Online multilingual markets are complex,
|
| users, France is extremely active online,
| |
| | and instead of looking at languages
|
| while French-speaking countries in Africa
| |
| | countries just by their buying power or
|
| are proportionally inactive. The same
| |
| | number of users, one should evaluate what
|
| applies when comparing Spain and some
| |
| | they have to offer and define the
|
| South American countries. If you were to
| |
| | marketability of their products and
|
| compare the online buying habits between
| |
| | services accordingly.
|
| 100,000 users in Spain and the same
| |
| | Are you looking for end users to buy your
|
| number of users throughout South America,
| |
| | products? Then look at the buying power
|
| you would notice that people out of Spain
| |
| | of the targeted markets along with the
|
| order products and services at least 5
| |
| | reliability of their postal and
|
| times more than their South American
| |
| | transportation services. Are you a
|
| peers.
| |
| | manufacturer looking to find more
|
| In many cases, it is not a matter of
| |
| | distributors/to increase your exports?
|
| buying power, but rather mail order
| |
| | Then chances are that the world is your
|
| habits based on the country's postal
| |
| | oyster.
|
| delivery system. In fact, in many
| |
| | I advise you to perform a meticulous
|
| countries where the postal system is
| |
| | evaluation of your market potential when
|
| unreliable (not to say flaky!), online
| |
| | developing a presence on multilingual
|
| users were not "groomed" with mail order
| |
| | search engines. So many factors need to
|
| habits prior to the internet. As a
| |
| | be taken into consideration...Do not look
|
| result, although such markets will look
| |
| | at Japanese, French or Spanish just as
|
| for products and services online, they
| |
| | country specific, but rather online
|
| certainly are not as mail order oriented
| |
| | language market shares! Just as an
|
| as other countries featuring more
| |
| | example, aside from all countries where
|
| efficient mailing systems.
| |
| | Spanish is spoken, one of the most active
|
| Therefore, it is impossible to rely
| |
| | Hispanic online markets is in the U.S.!
|
| solely on the amount of users when
| |
| | WWW = World Wide Web. Is your website
|
| considering establishing a multilingual
| |
| | really reaching worldwide?
|
| presence online. Another good example to
| |
| | The time has come to implement action on
|
| illustrate such fact would be China and
| |
| | a global scale!
|
| Japan. China currently has almost 145
| |
| |
|
