Summary: Nonnative speakers rely on visual cues to navigate international sites presented in an unfamiliar language. Use imagery to support text and help these shoppers.

Targeting international shoppers can be challenging due to language and cultural barriers. In some multilingual countries, it can be particularly difficult to predict the primary language of users.

In these cases, offering content translations for every possible language may not be practical. When catering to a wide range of languages, visual cues become critical for providing necessary information and helping shoppers make decisions. When international users browse a site that is not in their own language, they depend heavily on visuals.

Case Study: India

India is an extremely diverse country , with 22 different languages listed in its constitution. Some of the more commonly spoken languages in India include Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, Gujrathi, and Malayalam. Ecommerce sites catering to Indian shoppers cannot easily provide translations for all possible languages, so these sites often present content in English.

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