Taking another fundamental step towards our goal in writing the future of commerce, we are pleased to announce that from now on, our platform is available in Dutch, French, and Korean!
From May 2021, VTEX users will be able to choose the new languages in the admin. The new languages added to the already existing platform languages: Portuguese, English, Spanish, Italian, Romanian, and Japanese.
Going global
Driven by the mission of bringing value to our clients operating in all four corners of the world, we understand the need to expand the reach of our platform and overcome barriers by adding three new languages.
Today, VTEX has over 2,500 active stores around the globe, and we want to ensure that our clients have the support and tools they need to grow and expand.
AB Inbev, for example, a beverage and beer global company, is one of our clients that relies on new languages to grow their operations with VTEX’s help. VTEX wants to be where our customers are, even if it means breaking language and technical barriers.
Challenges
Our teams faced not only the challenge of simultaneously adding three new languages to the VTEX platform, but also some technical hurdles to ensure the quality of the implementation.
One example was the challenge of adding Korean, a language with a non-Latin alphabet, which is different from the majority of the active languages on the platform so far. This required intense orchestration by our Product, Localization, and Engineering teams to ensure that all improvements were implemented as accurately as possible.
The mapping process included the entire architecture’s repository and branches to ensure that all platform elements were thoroughly accounted for in each language. Having all the admin elements pre-translated without the user having to use tools such as Google Translator, for example, helps them operate and adjust the fields according to their specific needs.
According to Vladimir Montanu, Head of Localization at VTEX, “besides the final customer’s shopping experience on the site, it is extremely important that we also ensure an outstanding experience in the admin itself to keep our relationship of trust with clients strong, and for them to count on us in their expansion strategies to other countries.” It is worth noting that this improvement goes beyond the admin language option and also includes the login step to the search terms, cart, checkout, and even the orders page.
To be global is to be localized
Ecommerce allows companies to accelerate their expansion process, so in order to act globally, it is crucial to understand the region’s particularities and ensure that their operations are well suited.
The localization process is a process of technological evolution that requires much more than just specific translations of content but also involves platform adjustments to ensure that the cultural specificities of each country are met and that the VTEX user experience is the most efficient in managing their operations.
