What is a Culturally Customized web site

1
What is a Culturally Customized web site?

• A web site that reflects complete immersion in
  the culture of the target market.
• A web site that addresses three levels of
  cultural adaptation perception, symbolism, and
  behavior.
• A web site that that goes beyond simple
  translation, and cosmetic adaptation when
  targeting different countries and/or cultures.
• In short, Cultural Customization begins where
  basic localization ends.

2
Why Culturally Customize Web Sites?

• Our research as well as recent studies by other
  researchers (all discussed in the book) reveal
  that cultural customization leads to
• Higher web site usability, accessibility, and
  interactivity.
• A more favorable attitude toward the site.
• A state of flow and browsing comfort.
• Increased purchase intentions on the site.

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Types of Web Site Customization

• Standardized Web Sites
• A single site serves all customer segments
  (domestic and international)
• Semi-Localized Web Sites
• A single site serves all customers however,
  contact information about foreign subsidiaries
  available for international customers.
• Localized Web Sites
• Country-specific web sites with language
  translation for international customers, wherever
  relevant.
• Highly-Localized Web Sites
• Country-specific web sites with language
  translation they also include other
  localization efforts in terms of time, date, zip
  code, currency formats, etc.
• Culturally Customized Web Sites
• Web sites reflecting complete immersion in the
  culture of target customer segments as such,
  targeting a particular country may mean providing
  multiple web sites for that country depending on
  the dominant cultures present.

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Web Sites of US MultinationalsA Survey of Web
Customization
Survey based on a sample of 307 US
multinationals in Forbes 900 (see book for
details of this study). S Standard Web Sites
(7.49) SL Semi-Localized Web Sites (28.66) L
Localized Web Sites (35.17) HL Highly Localized
Web Sites (28.66) CC Culturally Customized Web
Sites (0) The following slides offer examples
of each of the above types of customization.
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Standardized Web Site
A single site serves all customer segments
(domestic and international). There is no effort
made to reach out to international consumers in
terms of any customization.
Example Tyco International boasts of being a
truly international company with business in over
100 countries. It offers a single standardized
web site in one language (English) for all its
customers
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Semi-Localized Web Site
A single site serves all customers however,
contact information about foreign subsidiaries
available for international customers. Little
else is offered to address the needs of
international customers.
Example Gap Inc. is one of the worlds largest
retailers and has over 4100 stores in 3000
locations in the U.S., U.K., Canada, France,
Japan, and Germany. It has one central US web
site for all its US and international customers.
7
Localized Web Site
Country-specific web sites with language
translation for international customers, wherever
relevant.
Dell (Italy)
Example Dell Inc.s web site provides
country-specific web pages along with translation
into the relevant language, wherever necessary .
Dell (UK)
Dell (Sweden)
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Highly Localized Web Site
Country-specific web sites with language
translation they also include other
localization efforts in terms of time, date, zip
code, currency formats, etc.
Example Amazon.com offers unique web sites for
Japan (Amazon.jp), Germany (Amazon.de), Canada
(Amazon.ca), United Kingdom (Amazon.co.uk), and
France (Amazon.fr)
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Culturally Customized Web Site Web sites
reflecting complete immersion in the culture of
target customer segments

• Our book offers 36 web features that are the
  basis for cultural customization.
• These features are theoretically sound, and
  empirically validated through a rigorous
  research process, including literature review,
  web site content analysis, inter-coder ratings,
  and experiments.
• These web features can be used to customize web
  sites for over 50 countries and specific cultures
  across the world.
• We use the 5 widely accepted cultural dimensions
  (based on the established work of well known
  scholars, Hofstede and Hall) that explain
  cultural diversity in the world
• Individualism-Collectivism
• Uncertainty Avoidance
• Power Distance
• Masculinity-Femininity
• High and Low Context

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Culturally Customized Web Site (contd.)

• Each country or group can be measured on the 5
  dimensions

The book provides scores for each country on the
5 dimensions (from the research of Hofstede and
Hall), and provides a listing of 36 specific web
features that are the basis for cultural
customization of specific countries/and or
cultures.
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The Culturally Customized Web Site

• Besides the tools to culturally customize web
  sites, the book also provides case studies,
  illustrations, web site examples, empirical data,
  research and anecdotes.