Ten Billion Reasons

Sailing and maritime products and services are supplied by over 5,000 businesses in Britain, employing 90,000 people and generating annual turnover of £10 billion. There’s no doubting the quality and innovation that lights up the sector, but 21^st century business leaders need to be as agile in their communication and payment strategies as they are in product development.Put simply, is your business ready for e-commerce? Because if it isn’t, your share of that £10 billion might be in jeopardy.Many of us associate e-commerce with online shopping, but the bigger picture includes business-to-business communication, data exchanges and fund transfers. Absolute Translations clients also depend on e-commerce for chartering as well as booking and tracking of cargo. Overall, online shopping only accounts for a small proportion of our clients’ e-commerce dealing in this sector, and we’ve noticed a major difference in the fortunes of those who get their strategy right.A good e-commerce set-up will offer quick and straightforward access to information, products and the all-important “buy” button. Time barriers can disappear and so can geographical constraints. And while it’s our pleasure to work with many market leading blue chips, we’re also excited by the opportunities that e-commerce offers the smaller business. Lower online marketing costs can help innovative SMEs make their presence felt in ways that would have been unthinkable just a few years ago.But are you truly speaking your customer’s language?Authoritative analysis by Common Sense Advisory Market Research indicates that as many as 87% of non-English speakers won’t consider buying goods or services from an English language website.It also tells us that even when overseas customers, including near-neighbours, speak good English, they still prefer us to communicate with them in their own language. And why shouldn’t they?61% of French customers will only buy from a French language site58% of German customers will only buy from a German language siteRegardless of how good their own English language skills are.And when you overcome the language hurdle, how well do you understand your audience’s payment preferences? One size does not fit all.To take just one example, PayPal is a global leader in online payment systems and holds a 72% share of that market in Belgium. But just across the border in the Netherlands, iDEAL, a Dutch system allowing customers to shop via direct online transfers from their bank accounts has eaten up more than half of the market in 2016.Britain’s boating products and services are hugely respected, and great products and great service will take you a long way. An e-commerce enabled website with accurate translation and an accurate understanding of your target audience’s payment preferences will carry you that final step. Absolute Translations offers you a 15 year track record of industry-focused language service combined with tailored cultural and economic advice. We’ll give you – and your customers – exactly what you need.Interested? There are ten billion reasons why you should be.