Web Presence of US Companies in China

Many American companies view China as a tremendous growth opportunity for products and brands, and the Web offers an immediate and direct means of getting product information on the radar of the Chinese consumer. The question is how culturally tuned are American companies when reaching out? Companies are aware of the need to localize marketing and advertising and are now practicing this approach on their websites.  However, many US companies are struggling to adapt to the local needs of Chinese users. This is a primary reason that US companies fail to reach the Chinese consumer. Of China’s 1.3 billion people, 420 million use the Internet, which gives China the highest number of global internet users. Since China is the world’s fastest-growing major economy, it is important for US companies to understand the Internet usage of Chinese consumers and make their Western content and imagery relevant to them. The more a website matches the user’s cultural sensibilities, the more comfortable local users will be with the product. Sensitivity to culture, language, imagery – that is, localization of the site–is critical to a positive customer experience and a rewarding of the brand through increased sales.

In 2001, Coca-Cola launched a new website for Chinese users that demonstrated an understanding and respect for Chinese history. In the ‘Chronicle’ section of the site, important years in Coca-Cola history were listed alongside those in Chinese history (with a focus on politics) to demonstrate a respect and unity with the Chinese government. In 2004, they placed pictures of Chinese people and good will messages to celebrate the Chinese New Year and show sensitivity to the local culture. Approaches like these have helped Coca-Cola remain one of the top brands in the world. This begs the question, how well do other American companies localize their site for the Chinese consumer? Do they feel Chinese? Are they sensitive to the language and culture in a way that appeals to users and supports the brand? Specifically, how effectively is each site localized and how does this impact the overall customer experience?

In mid-2009, User Centric engaged ten Chinese experts to evaluate the user interfaces of 31 Chinese websites of American products, services and brands in six consumer industries.

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