We are used to seeing translations of product sheets on Amazon that, being generous, are fatally understood .
Sometimes they don't make sense and sometimes they even make us smile because they are outrageous. Bad words , grammatical constructions that there is no where to catch them and, in short, a text that does not contribute anything to the sale or even remotely.
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Amazontools' bi weekly newsletterHow does a bad translation affect our sales on Amazon?
In a much more decisive way than you could imagine. When you finish with the list, you will not have the time to rush to find a native translation agency with your listings.
A bad translation always implies a worse conversion and this is not by chance or bad luck . There are many aspects that explain it clearly.
# 1 – Communication problem
As basic as it may seem to you, there are those who do not see it. You may be very interested in buying something, but you need to know if it really meets your needs .
When you have to make an effort and, even so, you are not 100% sure what you are putting in the cart … you will keep looking, because there are too many alternatives on Amazon.
# 2 – Generate mistrust
Ok, you read it and despite being completely badly written you understand. You don't buy it anyway and do you know why? Well, why don't you trust it.
An incorrect translation makes us extend this bad user experience to the product . It raises questions about whether you will have the instructions in our language or whether, in the event of an incident, I will be able to understand the seller.
If they don't invest in translating, will they also save on the quality of the product ?
# 3 – Our profits are reduced
This occurs for various reasons . Partly because those customers who come to buy may have been misled by the text and, upon receiving the product, return it for not being satisfied. These misunderstandings not only affect the quality of the shopping experience , they also generate avoidable logistics costs .
But if we are doing PPC campaigns it is even more serious . With what it costs to capture a user , the minimum is to send them to a page that meets the minimum quality and that can read the information correctly in their language, it is one of those basics.
# 4- It hurts your SEO
You will already know that the choice of keywords and the optimization of your listings based on them is the basis of organic positioning in the Amazon search engine.
The A9 algorithm uses the words that we use in the titles, descriptions or bullet points to identify the content of that tab and, in this way, know what result to show when a user uses a related search intention.
Indirectly, the fact of generating fewer sales also creates a vicious circle for us because it makes our competitors surpass us in the rankings and win us the buy box . This implies that we sell less and the wheel keeps turning while we lose money.
# 5 – A literal translation is less persuasive
Note that the translation does not have to be a disaster for it to not work. From the beginning I am recommending native translators for your Amazon listings , the grammar and spelling may be perfect, but the semantics can play tricks on you .
You need to localize as well as take the text literally and change it language . Knowing the context and the way users express themselves makes a difference.
The best example is what happens when a Spaniard reads a copy written by an Argentine or a Mexican . It is very easy for him to realize that these idioms and that way of using language do not come naturally to him .
It is somewhat ridiculous to invest large amounts of money and resources in getting the best products, logistics, recruitment, marketing … and to save on a game as critical as it is reasonably affordable , spoil all that work and that business opportunity.
Conclusions
I encourage you to do the experiment right now and properly translate some of your products . You will see how what we usually call CRO ( Conversion Rate Optimization ) comes into play .
Basically this consists of increasing sales without increasing visits for it . Any resource that you can use to increase the capture capacity should be tested and, even more so, if it is such a simple method to implement, with such a wide margin for improvement and using very few resources .
Do you dare to look for a native translation agency to sell more on Amazon? We recommend you this guys located in Barcelona (Spain): OnTranslation
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About the author
Jordi Ordonez
I work as an independent eCommerce and Amazon consultant.
Clients
Estrella Damm, Intersport, Bella Aurora, Lladró, Textura Interiors, Nice Things Palomas, Castañer, Due-Home and many other clients.
Lecturer & Teacher
I teach and have been a speaker at: Meet Magento, Prestashop, Prestashop Day, SEMRush, Cambra de Comerç Barcelona, ClinicSEO, Ecommbeers, Ecommbrunch, Ecommercetour.com, Ecommfest, EOI, ESIC-ICEMD, Foxize, Generalitat de Catalunya, Inesdi, Quondos and The Valley. In addition, I have done in-company trainings for brands such as Orange and Adidas.
Writer
I collaborate writing articles for Helium 10 blog, Shopify, SEMRush, La Vanguardia, eCommerce-news.es, Marketing4ecommerce...
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Helium 10, Jungle Scout, Avask, Sellzone, Helium 10 Seller Solutions Hub Partner
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