It’s no secret that Asia is on track to remain the fastest growing eCommerce market over the next five years. China’s online retail spend is projected to double from $1.9 trillion in 2019 to $4.1 trillion by 2023 - that’s four times the projected $1 trillion spend in America by 2023. In addition, southeast Asia’s retail eCommerce is projected to more than triple from $20.9 billion in 2019 to $82 billion by 2025.
American companies are eager to participate in Asia’s explosive eCommerce growth, but fully localizing and maintaining a platform in multiple languages is extremely expensive and comes with huge risks. Here are some ways eCommerce companies can attract asian shoppers without having to execute an expensive overhaul.
Improve navigation with more images
Although residents of Asian countries are increasingly growing up learning English in schools, the majority of online shoppers from Asia are still not completely fluent. Brands can make it easier for international shoppers to navigate their website by using more icons and images.
For example, instead of just hosting a text link labeled “Men’s Jackets”, companies can make shopping more intuitive by using product images for navigation.
Filling out shipping and payment information can also be a common barrier to shoppers from asia. Companies should use icons for their cart and payment fields whenever possible, and include visual examples of address fields and sample billing information. This will help asian shoppers understand how to finish an online purchase and will reduce cart abandonment rates.
Put your brand logo front and center
Asians shoppers love authentic brands. Americans and asian shoppers are well aware of the risk of buying counterfeits online. Asians shop from American companies because the products are more likely to be authentic and higher quality. Make it easy for asian shoppers to tell that they are on authentic websites by using high-resolution product images and brand logos.
Having professional product photos and a polished modern website are powerful signals to international shoppers that they are buying from a trusted brand. Companies should also use professional photography for all their product galleries and include closeups, material highlights and clearly show their brand logo. Doing so will impress asian shoppers and convince them that they are buying high-end American products that are not counterfeit.
Photography is critical for online eCommerce. Snappr commissioned a study of 600 American consumers conducted by Google and found that viewing pictures was considered 5.8x more important than reading product descriptions when shopping online. Surprisingly, photos were even considered 7x more important than reading reviews!
Show off an American lifestyle
Asia’s explosive eCommerce growth is largely fueled by a growing middle and upper-middle class. And as these households become wealthier, there is definitely a sense of “keeping up with the Joneses”-style peer pressure influencing Asian online shoppers.
Asian shoppers are also fascinated with western values of individualism and political freedom. Buying an expensive American brand is often seen as a way to signal that they can afford a wealthy western lifestyle, and that they are higher in social status.
eCommerce companies should not attempt to make their platforms feel more “Asian”. Instead they should double down on highlighting their American identities. Companies should use images of iconic American locations or architecture in their product galleries to sell the American lifestyle and identity to asian shoppers.
Use a professional photography service
The best way for eCommerce companies to get high quality photographs is to use Snappr. Snappr, an on-demand photography service, has the largest network of professional photographers specializing in product photography. All Snappr shoots are also professionally edited, ensuring stunning product photos that will help your eCommerce company thrive online. Give Snappr a call today to learn how we can transform your online eCommerce.
