Localising Prices, Sizes and Delivery Promises

Localisation is often treated as a language exercise. In practice the details that decide whether a visitor buys are numbers: the price in local currency, the size they recognise, and a delivery promise they believe.

Show a price that reflects the market

A converted price that ends in an unfamiliar decimal pattern signals an international site immediately. Rounding to a locally conventional price point and stating whether local taxes are included removes one of the most common reasons for abandonment.

Translate sizes into what people already know

Sizes, measurements and units should be presented in the form the local market uses, with the original alongside for reference. A customer who has to convert a size mentally will often leave to find a retailer who has already done it.

Make the delivery promise specific

State the expected delivery window in local working days, name the carrier where possible, and be clear about duties and taxes at the point of checkout rather than on arrival. An unexpected charge at the door produces a refusal and a refund, which costs more than the margin on the order.

Localise the returns process

Explain where a return is sent, who pays for it and how long a refund takes. Returns policy confidence influences the initial purchase far more than most teams assume, particularly in markets where distance selling rules are well known.

Review the localisation once a quarter

Currencies move, carriers change and rules change. A quarterly review of the numbers on each localisation, rather than the wording, keeps the site accurate without a rebuild.