PayPal Speaks French
The Wall Street Journal (subscription required) covers the recent launch of PayPal’s French Web site. Two things I found interesting: 1. PayPal is wisely following in eBay’s footsteps. As eBay …
Business globalization
Lowe’s Conducts Bilingual Marketing Research
Since relocating to San Diego, I’ve been a regular at Lowe’s. During my last visit I was asked to particpate in an online study. I went home, plugged in the …
Case Studies in Globalization
CNET features an in-depth Knowledge@Wharton article on the adventures of American-based Internet companies as they expand globally. Here’s an excerpt… As growth in the United States inevitably slows, companies like …
¿Habla español? A Directory of Spanish-language Web Sites for US Hispanics
The statistics are compelling. According to the US Census Bureau, there are nearly 40 million native Spanish speakers in the US. By 2010, this number will easily surpass 50 million. …
GlobalSight Adds Content Management Partner
GlobalSight, a developer of globalization management software, announced today that it “has entered into agreement with enterprise content management software provider, Mediasurface, for integrating end-to-end Web content creation into GlobalSight’s …
A Closer Look at Google’s Global Trajectory
Google says that half of its Internet traffic emanates from outside the US. While this is significant, what really matters to Google is where the revenues emanate from. Now that …
Amazon’s Global Growth Spurt
Amazon recently released Q2 numbers, and, as we predicted, international sales are now solidly driving Amazon’s growth. Take a look at the sales breakdown between North America and International: If …
Web Globalization Back on the “Front Burner”
Two months ago I began interviewing executives at a number of large multinationals about their global Web sites. As you know, I’ve been following this industry for many years now, …
China: 80 Million Internet Users And Just Getting Started
According to a new report from the China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC) — the country’s Internet regulatory body — China now has 31 million broadband Internet subscribers, an increase …
eBay: Think Globally; Test Locally
ZDNet News UK reports that eBay Australia will no longer allow sellers to set a reserve price. According to the article, “eBay maintains that reserves actually put off buyers, citing …
World’s Largest Hotel Chain Expanding Global Web Sites
Localization firm SDL recently announced that Best Western has signed up for SDL’s “Knowledge-based Translation System” to better manage its global Web sites. According to the press release, the “implementation …
Global Search Engine Tips
Here’s a short but useful piece in WebProNews on improving search engine results across foreign search portals. The most important tip is this: if you want to do well in …
Alienware Going Global
You can’t hide on the Internet, particularly when it comes to Web globalization. I was passing through the Alienware Web site the other day — because they have the coolest-looking …
US Hispanic Spending Nears $700bn
According to a new report by HispanTelligence, U.S. Hispanic purchasing power has surged to nearly $700 billion and is projected to reach as much as $1 trillion by 2010. According …
FedEx and UPS in China
Steve Rivkin of the Naming Newsletter posted an short piece on why FedEx and UPS may be benefitting in China simply because of their names. Here’s an excerpt: The name …