2012 has been a hugely exciting year for Web-Translations. We’ve continued to deliver global web solutions for a vast range of businesses, all while growing our team’s linguistic, commercial and technological expertise.

In February, we welcomed the newest Web-Translations baby. The delightful Abigail was well worth the wait, arriving 17 days late weighing  8lbs 7oz, and her immensely proud Mommy Jenn has recently returned to work following her maternity leave. Welcome back, Jenn – we’ve missed you!

Dominic McGrath joined the team as Project Coordinator in October 2011. His excellent customer service and drive to deliver high-quality projects proved him to be a great team leader, and he took on Project Manager responsibilities in April of this year.

Our September recruitment drive saw us welcome to the team a New Business Consultant in the form of Joe Hamilton, who has already contributed to our expanding portfolio of projects. The strategic growth of Web-Translations resulted in the introduction of an e-Marketing team headed up by e-Marketing Project Manager Rehan Sajid, who brings a wealth of SEO and commercial experience. He is joined by a new e-Marketing Project Co-ordinator, the talented Adam Knott, who certainly proved his worth during his internship.

In October, Beatrice Martinelli became a Project Coordinator, after working as an intern during the summer months.

Our Managing Director, Daniel Rajkumar, slipped in a trip to Mauritius before Christmas. It wasn’t just for palm trees and cocktails, mind – whilst there, he secured a promising new partnership; we welcome Lux Island Resorts to our client base, and can’t wait to get to work on their exciting project.

We are looking forward to a sunny international 2013, and would like to wish everyone a fantastic year ahead, full of growth, opportunity, and – most importantly – success!

What’s to come in 2013?…

• Further commitment to our Spanish office: we’ve worked together for 1 year with our Spanish partner Ignacio, and plan to build on the success we’ve shared so far.

• Focus on international e-commerce: we’re helping an increasing number of ecommerce businesses to exploit international export opportunities.

• Measured success: we’re improving reporting to all SEO clients so that they can see how we hold ourselves accountable for their international success.

Photo: Shimelle Laine

To commemorate the incredible year of 2012, Web-Translations are offering 10% off website localisation packages until the end of January.

A stunning year of international celebration and sport, including the Olympic Games, the Paralympic Games, and the Diamond Jubilee, have transformed Britain’s global reputation and opened new opportunities for international dialogues, business and co-operation.

 
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Chinese e-commerce grew by 66% in 2011, representing a turnover of 93 billion euros.

With more than 513 million Internet users and 356 million mobile Internet users, according to the 29^th Statistical Report on Internet Development in China by the China Internet Network Information Center, China is the world’s largest online market, and this population is continuing to grow.

With rapid improvements in the technological infrastructure there, use of the Internet is continuously evolving and becoming more sophisticated. Combine this with China’s growing middle class who have more buying power than ever before, and you can see why online shopping has become so huge there so quickly. A 2011 study of online buyers worldwide conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers found that 86% of China’s nearly 200 million online shoppers considered themselves experts at ecommerce, compared to 70% in the UK and 72% in the USA.

With an average of 8.4 online purchases per month by online buyers, China makes developed Western Internet economies look like ecommerce newcomers. For comparison, online buyers in the US made an average of 5.2 purchases and 4.3 in the UK, while in France and Netherlands just 2.6. In Germany, Europe’s largest and strongest economy, this figure was 2.9 purchases. Who are you considering selling online to at the moment? Germany? France? Or maybe China?

Only 42 million people in China (8.2% of Internet users) used travel booking services in the last year. However, the Chinese travel market is predictably seeing fast-paced growth in the coming years so online travel booking businesses are expected to experience higher growth there. South African Airways Simplified Chinese website for mainland China is an example of a full Chinese site translated by Web-Translations.

China’s scale, combined with its online population’s embrace of online shopping, present an important opportunity for businesses wanting to “go international”. However, setting up a business and subsequently succeeding in this country where almost everything is different can prove challenging. Consumer tastes, strict regulations, government involvement, Internet censorship, cultural differences and bureaucratic processes are some of the issues companies need to examine when entering China’s online market, yet the potential seems to outweigh the obstacles bearing in mind the current economic situation we find ourselves in in the West.

Recently we have completed International Blasts for China for some of our clients who aren’t afraid to begin facing this challenge: Brandy Classics and Click Meeting by Implix. This service is a great first step for companies interested in China by setting up a microsite and optimising it so you can begin to see the traffic to your site and interest in your product over there.

To find out how to launch a Chinese version of your website to start selling to China, please contact Web-Translations: sales[at]web-translations.co.uk / +44 (0) 113 815 0460.

Taking a bite from the Turkish delight will reap sweet rewards for online retailers

Turkish e-commerce transactions reached an impressive $12.3 billion in 2011, representing an increase of 57% on the previous year according to the Interbank Card Center. Combine this upsurge with the 12% per year e-commerce growth Forrester Research Inc (FORR) predicts for European growth over the next 5 years, and it becomes obvious that it’s time to pay attention to Turkey.

Impressive statistics but what’s going on?

Half the population of Turkey is under 30 years old. This young society has been quick to adopt technological innovations and they now spend more time online per week than the worldwide average. This tendency translates into a high responsiveness to social media – 89% of Turkish Internet users are on Facebook and they are the 11th most active country on Twitter.

95% of the Turkish population are expected to have a mobile phone in 2013, with global corporations such as Telecom Italia having already entered Turkey to take advantage of this.

Furthermore Turkey has a credit driven economy, with a 62% credit card penetration among consumers. All of this has led to a positive environment for the development of Turkish e-commerce.

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For hotel and tourism businesses, the 2012 Olympics represent a great sales opportunity. Visitors from all over the world will need places to stay, and things to do when they’re not busy at the sporting events.

In last place…

However, with 87% of hospitality businesses saying they have not taken any steps to prepare their business, and a further 63% claiming they do not intend to take any steps nearer the time, are we really ready for the onslaught? Why are businesses not seizing this opportunity to maximise their slice of the action? Why sit back and wait to see what happens, when this could be the opportunity of a lifetime?

As Visit London’s chief executive, Sally Chatterjee, says: “London is the world’s most visited destination by foreign travellers, and one of the most accessible cities in the world.”

It’s estimated that 350,000 foreign visitors will come to London each day during 2012, with around 5.5 million “day visitors” in total between the end of July and mid-August.

If these predicted visitor numbers prove to be accurate, then the UK’s tourism and hospitality sector is woefully unprepared for the influx of foreign tourists who will arrive this year.

Emerging markets such as China, India and Brazil have been identified as key targets, and have therefore been the focus of the international Olympic marketing campaign.

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E-commerce is booming in Brazil. Supported by a growing middle class, Brazil’s e-commerce total revenue for 2011 was over $11 billion; that’s an increase of 26% compared to 2010 ($8.4 bn). In total, 32 million consumers in Brazil bought at least once via the web in 2011, and the eCommerce market is estimated to be worth around $12.7 billion this year.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/ricardogeromel/2012/03/23/brazils-e-commerce-is-booming-record-breaking-figures-in-2011-growth-of-26-earnings-of-11-bi/

So what do Brazilians buy online? The most popular categories reflect the needs of Brazil’s new middle class:

• Home appliances (13%)
• IT (12%)
• Health/beauty/drugs (11%)
• Books and magazine subscriptions (8%)
• Electronics (6%)