| One size certainly doesn't fit all! Everyone has | | | | have greater financial risk (credit card fraud) opposed |
| probably found himself in a situation of | | | | to product risk and similar. That can be done partly |
| misunderstanding because of difference in cultures. | | | | by a research on the safety of credit card payment |
| These things happen all the time while interacting with | | | | in the countries you do business and find out which |
| people from different cultures and if you don't take | | | | risks do they face. The length of Internet usage, the |
| them in account, you can not fully understand what is | | | | Internet connection availability and the technology are |
| said and done. Not to mention to sell something. | | | | also very important things to take in account to |
| When serving online customers and trying to reach | | | | interact properly to website visitors from a certain |
| new markets, these variables become very | | | | country. |
| important. Language, more than anything else is the | | | | The first-hand experience is probably wise to be |
| heart of culture.* Assumptions about culture affect | | | | focused more on the linguistic preferences, which |
| the way people communicate with each other. The | | | | often give clues about the behavior, manners and |
| culture dimension encompasses different ways in | | | | thinking of that particular culture. All of this should |
| which people think, act or behave, including the | | | | result in using a specific language to reflect what is |
| interactions toward themselves, with their families | | | | learned. But language is much more than words and |
| and with other people. Different cultures have | | | | every language has linguistic preferences. |
| different values towards religion, society, politics and | | | | For example, the English use understatement and |
| family, as well as towards allocation of time and all | | | | modesty; they are sometimes vague to avoid any |
| that reflects in their conversation styles. All these | | | | confrontation and extremely polite. Spaniards and |
| differences have to be noticed and used to enhance | | | | Italians on the other hand like to be flowery with |
| the communication with online customers. | | | | their language, preferring eloquence and |
| How can your company notice those cultural | | | | expressiveness over exactness. Germans are very |
| differences? | | | | logical in manner and words. Asians, including Japanese |
| There are basically two ways to do that. The first is | | | | and Chinese, consider harmony an important virtue |
| from second-hand sources, by doing research on the | | | | and will avoid confrontation at all costs. For that |
| countries you do business with. And the second one | | | | reason, they will often say yes to many things with |
| is to gain insights into them by experience - from | | | | the understanding of "Yes, I hear you" or "Yes, I |
| conversations with people or visiting the country. To | | | | understand", and not necessarily "Yes, I agree." |
| get the most of these efforts, the first-hand | | | | Much more things can be said on this subject. But |
| experience counts the most. | | | | you cannot step into the same river twice for it is |
| The research, besides basic information and statistics | | | | always moving. And that is why, things that are |
| you can get, should also focus on the online-shopping | | | | moving so fast should be closely followed and |
| preferences and characteristics of the nation. For | | | | updated practices should be used. |
| example, to take into account the risk online visitors | | | | *Robert L. |
| face when buying online, finding out which nations | | | | |