Targeting the Nordics--consider this first

In a session titled “Can't read, won't buy: Language matters on the Nordic markets” Daniel Lindqvist, Maare Ollin and Claes Soderberg of translation specialist Kommunicera Communications, advised delegates at the CatEx Round Table Day on creating a “comfort zone” for your Nordic shoppers. While most retailers believe an English-language website will serve their Scandinavian customers well enough, Lindqvist, Ollin and Soderberg warned that retailers may be losing out on sales simply because they are not speaking to their potential customers in their native tongue. With a mature ecommerce market, efficient postal system, and a good availability of prospecting data, Scandinavia presents an attractive opportunity, but if you’re a retailer considering expanding into the Nordic marketplace, there are several other points to consider too:

1. Seventy-two percent of people prefer to shop in their own language
While most people in Sweden and its neighbouring countries have a very good grasp of English, technical language is still a barrier. So although many customers in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Finland can socialise in English and can competently navigate an English-language site, when it comes to returns policies or terms and conditions, they may need a little hand-holding.

2. Who you gonna call?
What happens when something goes wrong? How will you communicate with your customers in Sweden and Norway? Do you employ native speakers in your UK-based contact centre? Or do you task a local contact centre provider to do so on your behalf?

3. Money, money, money
Finland is the only Scandinavian country that has adopted the euro as its currency. Does your website accept Swedish krona, Danish or Norwegian krone? Offering additional payment methods creates that “comfort zone” Kommunicera is advocating. In Sweden customers are happy to shop online using their credit cards, but monthly invoice options are also available—something Swedish retailer H&M included in its UK print catalogue. Paypal is not as popular in Sweden as in the UK, especially not with the older generation.

4. Know your directives
There’s an EU directive that requires all merchants who sell food, beverages or cosmetics into other countries to provide a list of ingredients in the local language. Usually, your supplier can do this for you. Another directive says that if goods are worth £40 the retailer must cover the cost of if a customer returns the item. Are you prepared for that?

5. Local customs
Did you know, in Sweden there is a minimum order value for ecommerce transactions? Because of the size of the country, to make ecommerce viable for retailers, most Swedish businesses set a minimum order value threshold of approximately £20. And local businesses charge shipping on top of that--as standard. Kommunicera says customers are accustomed to this, so any international seller not asking for a minimum order value or offering free delivery may have a competitive advantage. But think carefully about your bottom line before any such promotions.

6. Tailor your copy
Knowing to leave extra space for longer German words is almost a no brainer these days, but do you also know what sort of copy appeals to your international customers? According to Kommunicera, the French prefer romantic and flowery language in catalogue copy and related marketing material. The Swedes, on the other hand, want practical and straightforward descriptions. The Germans want very detailed descriptions, no stone must be left unturned when writing copy for a German market. Copy in English uses a lot of wordplay, but you must be extra careful when translating idioms, as you need to avoid any misunderstandings or unintentional innuendo. And don’t get too colloquial, see below.

7. How special are your special offers?
DIY is huge in Sweden, so when a Swedish do-it-yourself company translated some of its marketing copy for the Polish market, it was disappointed with a lukewarm response. DIY, says Lindqvist, is not ingrained in the Polish consumer culture; it needed a different approach for that market. Even neighbouring countries have differences in what works and what doesn’t. Swedish consumers are used to the term “red prices” to refer to special offers and discounts. If you mentioned “red prices” to a Norwegian, he wouldn’t be familiar with the phrase. Whereas in the UK, buy-one-get-one-free is a common offer, Swedish consumers prefer 3-for-2 deals.

8. Delivering the goods
The postal market in Sweden is completely deregulated and since 2001, there have been no post offices in Sweden. Consumers use Postal Service Points in grocery stores and gas stations to send and receive letters and parcels. It is unusual for parcel deliveries to be sent to consumers’ homes. Make sure your website knows this and that you don’t mandate that delivery address match billing address.