Global Apps Need Local Flavor To Win Customers

Most organizations preparing to enter a new market recognize that websites and apps need some adjustments to meet local user expectations. But just how much do designers and developers need to change digital products and experiences to win over new customers? Applause’s first Digital Payments and Localization Survey explores where organizations’ current practices for localizing apps meet user expectations and where there are opportunities to improve. Applause surveyed more than 6,700 software developers, QA professionals and independent consumers worldwide on digital payment and localization testing strategies as well as user behaviors and preferences. 

Organizations are offering apps in multiple languages 

While consumers are often willing to use apps in languages other than their native language, they expect apps to be properly localized. Out of more than 4,900 consumers, 45% stated that they were willing to use apps in languages aside from their native language as long as the content provided value; only 24% said that they would never use apps in foreign languages or only do so if absolutely necessary. On the other hand, 52% reported they have abandoned an app at some point due to poor localization.  

So, while many organizations offer their apps in multiple languages, they aren’t always ensuring those apps are free of errors that consumers find off-putting. Our survey of more than 1,900 software development, product and QA professionals found that 62% of respondents worked for an organization that goes to market in more than one region and 64% stated that their applications are available in multiple languages. In addition, 66% said that they adjust their apps’ customer journeys/checkout flows to align with norms in different countries or cultures.

Despite some use of best practices, costly issues remain

To ensure consistent and correct localization, 70% of software developers, product and QA professionals stated that their organization maintains a glossary of preferred translations for key words and phrases used in its apps. Most organizations — 54% — reported that they develop all of their localized sites and apps in-house; 16% outsource all foreign-language development and another 20% alternate between in-house and outsourced development depending on the language. 

Companies still rely heavily on dogfooding to localize apps: when asked how they validate that applications are properly localized, 59% stated they have developers and QA staff who are native speakers for each language. The next most popular approaches to testing are automated internationalization (i18n) testing tools (41%) and beta testing with in-market customers (27%). 

Those testing approaches aren’t necessarily uncovering all the defects, as more than half of our consumer respondents said they had abandoned an app due to localization issues. The most common reasons for abandonment:

• The app used incorrect words or syntax (48%)
• The app assumed local knowledge I was not familiar with (40%)
• The app had misspellings (38%)
• The checkout process/workflows felt out of order (33%)
• The app used unfamiliar units of measure or currency (27%)

One respondent noted abandoning an app that seemed AI translated, highlighting the need for human understanding of context and cultures.

Gaps in accepted payment methods and thorough testing leave money on the table 

Our survey found that 76% of consumers are likely to abandon a site or app if it does not accept their preferred payment method, and 41% said that they have encountered an issue that impacted their ability to make a payment within the last 3 months. While 62% of the software pros stated that customer preferences drive decision-making around which payment methods to accept, many organizations still don’t accept the payment instruments customers want. For example, 68% of consumers reported they use digital wallets, but only 56% or organizations accept them. Inability to use their preferred payment method was by far the most common payment issue customers reported (32%).  Other common payment issues included error messages upon payment submission, missing confirmations, and the inability to connect to digital wallets or saved payment information.

While the majority of software professionals reported that their organizations test purchase transactions (77%), they don’t always do so using live payment instruments, and only 18% test using negative payment instruments, such as declined or expired cards. In addition, only half of respondents stated that their organization has a documented payment instrument testing matrix.

Fewer than half of the respondents reported that their organizations validate elements of the payment process beyond purchases:

• Returns: 40%
• Exchanges: 38%
• Purchase confirmations and receipts contain correct info: 36%
• Calculations for taxes/shipping: 32%
• Rewards/loyalty accumulation: 26%
• Loyalty/rewards redemption: 22%

If organizations eliminated even a fraction of the issues that prevented customers from making payments, they could significantly increase revenue by reducing cart abandonment rates – currently contributing to an estimated $111 billion to $136 billion in lost revenue for U.S. retailers each year (Retail TouchPoints).

While the need for payment testing and its immediate return on investment are clear, few organizations are conducting comprehensive end-to-end testing. As companies look to scale and enter new markets, losses due to payment problems and poor localization add up quickly.

Learn more in the third annual State of Digital Quality Report, which analyzes a representative sample of Applause testing data and reports the most common flaws in digital experiences, available in September 2024.