Properly localized online store is a key for successful Hungarian market entry

Devices for the purification, humidification or cooling of air are becoming increasingly popular. During the worst summer heat, demand for mobile air-conditioners is higher than for Apple’s iPhone.

Our client is a successful retailer of devices that improve air quality. After online sales in the Czech Republic and Slovakia stabilised, the company decided to expand into a new market. Their first choice was Hungary because of the similar shopping patterns and the underdeveloped nature of the e-commerce market. On the other hand, they had to face the language barrier. Which was absolutely no problem for us!

Why Hungary?

Hungary is a common first choice for companies that want to expand beyond the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The number of online stores in Hungary is fairly low, approximately 7,000. In contrast, the Czech Republic has almost 40,000 online stores. However, the e-commerce market is growing by 18% per year, with approximately 80% of the population having access to the internet. Hungary therefore represents an exciting business opportunity.

When taking into consideration the costs of running an online store, customer support or online marketing, expansion into Hungary is cheap. The only obstacles might be Hungarian nationalism, the language and the high VAT rate (27%). However, if you are serious about expanding into the Hungarian market, these obstacles can be easily overcome with the help of native speakers of Hungarian.

The process of online store localization into Hungarian

Preparation of online store localization

Prior to the start of the translation process, it is necessary to decide the tone of voice for communications. This usually consists of putting together a style guide. This contains, among other things, the rules for corporate communications, information on the target group, positioning and values of the brand, a keyword analysis, a list of forbidden words and a glossary.

The style guide and keyword analysis are then used throughout all steps of the translation process in order to make the text stylistically and terminologically uniform.

Translation process

Preparation of texts for translation (export from CMS).
Research of referential/competitor websites, online stores and other sources (understanding terminology, keywords, selling propositions, etc.).
Keyword analysis, synonym identification, verification of their relevance and search rate through Google AdWords, keyword localization into Hungarian.
Translation by a translator specialized in marketing translations. For such translations we use the Memsource CAT tool and take repetitions of text, something that is commonplace for online store texts, into account. By not charging for the translation of a repeated text, the price for the translation of an online store can be more than 30% lower. Part of the process involves the careful implementation of the keywords. These are included in such a way that the text reads like an original text and also performs well during organic searches.
Metadata translation (alternative descriptions, page titles, etc.).
Translation of terms and conditions and privacy policy.
Linguistic proofreading by a native speaker of Hungarian. This ensures that the texts feel authentic and are easy to read for native speakers of Hungarian.
Localization of translated texts (adaptation of the texts according to the cultural environment of Hungary)
Visual check after importing the texts into the web interface (wrapping of the text, CTA buttons, menu items, etc.). This visual check may lead to a report with (suggested) changes that need to be implemented.

Customer support

After launching the Hungarian version of the online store, we helped our client with customer support. Before doing this, we studied and learned about the product range offered on the online store, including technical specifications, the seasonality of the products, the order handling evidence system, the specific requirements that customers from Hungary might have, etc. Thanks to these careful preparations and appropriate training, our customer support is almost autonomous. Only 5-10% of enquiries are forwarded to the contact persons of our client.

To increase the credibility of the Hungarian online store, customer support is provided by Hungarian native speakers. This allows Hungarian customers to communicate in their mother tongue without them knowing that the online store is not run by a Hungarian company.

We provide these types of customer support:

Written customer support (questions attached to orders, Facebook comments, e-mails from potential customers).
Telephone customer support (questions from potential and current customers about products, delivery options, returning goods, etc.)