5 mistakes e-shops make when expanding abroad
Most expansion projects fail on the same things. Here are the 5 most common mistakes — and how to avoid them.
LOCO has watched dozens of e-shops launch their expansion. Most of them make the same 5 mistakes.
Mistake 1: Literal translation without localization
"Next-day delivery" translated into German as "Lieferung am zweiten Tag." Literally correct. Commercially broken. The German shopper searches for "Lieferung morgen" or "Express-Lieferung."
How to avoid it: don't translate. Localize. LOCO does it automatically for each target market.
Mistake 2: Inconsistent terminology
You call one product a "backpack," another a "rucksack," a third a "pack." In one catalog. Same abroad — once "Rucksack," once "Tasche." AI search engines get confused, the customer can't navigate, search dies.
How to avoid it: a custom glossary. Defined once, applied everywhere.
Mistake 3: Ignoring AI search
ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews already drive 10 to 20 % of purchase decisions. And that number is growing. If you're not readable for AI, you lose the market.
How to avoid it: an AEO audit. Find out how AI sees you. LOCO runs it free.
Mistake 4: A feed that isn't ready for the target market
The product is "489" in PLN and "12,990" in CZK. But the German shopper needs EUR with a comma as the decimal separator, not a dot. Sizes in cm instead of inches. Date format DD.MM.YYYY instead of YYYY-MM-DD.
How to avoid it: format localization is part of LOCO. Automatic for 50+ markets.
Mistake 5: Relying on Google Translate or DeepL
DeepL is great for email. For a product catalog with context and brand tone, it's a recipe for average, generic, AI-invisible content.
How to avoid it: the LOCO AI team. 12 specialized agents, each focused on one quality dimension.
How to find out which mistakes you're making
Free LOCO AI audit of 50 products. Within 24 hours you get a report with concrete findings.
