Bouncing Czechouts: Cultural
Conversions and International
ecommerce
Joe Doveton
-Or-
A Six Course Meal at the
World’s Best Conversion
Themed Restaurant
Introduction
• (photo of JD at Conversion Conference 2013)
Hello
The Sales Bit
USA
Canada
Mexico
Brazil
UK
France
Germany
Italy
Spain
Netherland
Portugal
Russia
South Africa
Saudi Arabia
China
Malaysia
Japan
India
Thailand
Malaysia
Singapore
Australia
New Zealand
Cultural Differences in Design
Cultural Differences in Design
#1: Global Templates
#1. Greetings
Earthlings
We are the Globalese, We Speak
Worldish
Itenglian
Spargentinian
Germish
Countries with high proficiency
in English
Global Search Engines
High Context and Low
Context#2: High Context and Low Context
#2: High Context and Low ContextHofstede’s 5 Cultural
Dimensions
Summary
• Localise, don’t translate
• Your customers have already adapted and
absorbed an Anglophone web into their
own culture
• Written text is only one part of
communication - and research visual
cues, colour and composition
• Use frameworks like Hall and Hofstede
#2. Eat Guinea Pigs
Don’t Eat Elephants
Eat Guinea Pigs
Gratuitous Iceberg PictureFine arts Literature Drama
Classical Music Popular Music
Folk Dancing Games Cooking Dress
Eye behaviour
Contextual Conversational Patterns
Social Interaction Rate Facial Expressions
Notions of modesty Conception of beauty
Ideals of childrearing Relationship to animals
Patterns of superior/subordinate relations Definition of sin
Courtship practices Conception of justice Incentives to work
Notions of leadership Tempo of work Group decision making
Conceptions of cleanliness Attitudes towards dependents
Theory of disease Approaches to problem solving Conception of status mobility
Status designations based on age, sex, class, occupation, kinship etc
Nature of friendship Ordering of time Conception of ‘self’
Preference for competition or co-operation Body language Notions about logic and validity
Patterns of handling emotions
#2: High Context and Low ContextColours
#2: High Context and Low ContextCase Study: Hot Courses
Malaysia
#2: High Context and Low ContextCase Study: Hot Courses
Malaysia
#2: High Context and Low ContextCase Study: Mio Germany
#2: High Context and Low ContextCase Study: Mio Germany
#2: High Context and Low ContextCase Study: Mio Germany
#2: High Context and Low ContextCase Study: Mio Italy
Summary
• Culture affects all facets of design
• However, there are degrees of culture....
• Small is a tasty morsel - eat little and often
• There are no short cuts- sorry!
• Iterative, comparative tests are best
#3. Raspberry Pie
Bears in space
Bears in space
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KaGYKb8BJU
Italian broadband
IE6 in China
Arabic Flash
African mobile web
Tatagaki v Yokogaki
Tech fashions change too..
Tech fashions change too
#2: High Context and Low ContextCase Study-Man United
#2: High Context and Low ContextCase Study-Man United
Summary
• You must do the technical research
• Don’t assume that your cultural customers
have access to your technology
• Great video is no use in a country with
poor broadband
• Emerging markets may be behind or
ahead of the technological curve
• Be prepared to backwards engineer your
web pages/sites/apps where necessary
#4. Chocolate coins
DIBS survey
German Payments
Arabic ecommerce
Indian Cash
Chapman Freeborn English
English “Get Quote”
Chapman Freeborn Chinese
Chinese “Request Quote”
Summary
• Payment conditions differ wildly between
cultures
• Germany and Finland are generally
strongly credit averse
• The relationship between buyer and seller
is also cultural
• There are also conventions to be
respected in different countries about how
one asks for the business
# 5. Bear or Bull?
Nationwide Car Leasing
http://www.lingscars.com/
Ling’s Cars
http://www.slideshare.net/cxpartne
rs/chinese-web-design-patterns-
how-and-why-theyre-different
Chinese Web Design
Why I like losing tests
Case Study: Twinings UK
Case Study: Twinings UK
Case Study: Twinings UK
Boots Singapore
Boots Singapore
Summary
• Your best practice might be another
culture’s worst practice
• Don’t be afraid to experiment and learn-
your customer’s will tell you
• There is no such thing as bad data
• Losing tests prevent you going off in the
wrong direction
Digestif and coffee
Summing up
• Culture is visible in all human behaviour
• There isn’t a cultural silver bullet- so don’t
look for one
• Some industries are more susceptible than
others to cultural effects
• The actual cultural preferences are as
likely to be technological as on the page
• Like with all CRO- it’s all about research,
test, iterate
Thank You
Thank You
Joe Doveton
Franz Kafka Petr Cech
Eva Herzigova AntoninDvorak
Vaclav Havel
MartinaNavratilova
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