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