Product Package Localization: What and Why
- Maria Britze, GR Founder

- Oct 7, 2022
- 6 min read
Updated: Jun 10, 2023
Introduction
If you’re trying to sell products across borders, you know that the success of your business depends on the quality of your offerings. However, having great products is far from enough: You also need to clearly communicate their value to consumers from around the world. As such, it's important that you have all the tools necessary for effective product packaging and labeling localization in order to communicate with customers in a way that fits their culture.
If you want to sell your product on the global market, it’s important to understand what product packaging, labeling, and listing localization are all about.
If you want to sell your product on the global market, it’s important to understand what product packaging, labeling, and listing localization are all about.
Product Packaging: Product packaging is the physical structure that contains your product. When selling internationally, this can mean redesigning labels and instructions in addition to adapting designs of boxes, bottles and cans according to local preferences. For example if a bottle has a name that is already common in one country but not another then it will need altering so there isn’t confusion among customers as well as making sure that all necessary information such as ingredients or warnings are displayed clearly enough for everyone who reads them regardless of background knowledge or language skills.
Labeling: Product labeling refers specifically to text on labels used around products such as nutritional information or proper storage guidelines which may need changing depending on where they’re being sold (for example “keep refrigerated after opening”). There may also be additional requirements for labeling depending on different laws within each market so it's important not only from an aesthetic standpoint but also from regulatory standpoint before moving forward with any new design ideas
As an example, a product label must include the name and address of the manufacturer/importer, barcode, instruction for use/storage (if applicable), and composition.
As an example, a product label must include the name and address of the manufacturer/importer, barcode, instruction for use/storage (if applicable), and composition.
The first requirement is that it must contain a complete set of information about your product. This includes:
Name of the product;
Manufacturer or importer;
Net content;
Ingredients if they are present in one percent or more by weight;
Instructions for use or storage if there are any special instructions on how to use or store the product;
Barcode number if applicable;
The second requirement is that there should be sufficient space for all this information to be written down clearly so that no mistakes can be made when writing them down as well as making sure that any other person who wishes to read what is written on it would not have difficulty doing so
Additionally, each country has its own requirements for ingredients labels.
Be sure to check your own country's regulations for ingredients labeling. For example, in the United States, ingredients are listed in descending order of weight; listing must be in a clear and legible font; and they must be placed on the same side as directions for use. Additionally, each country has its own requirements for labels—for instance, Australia requires that all spices used must be listed by their common name and not scientific or Latin names (a practice called "common name").
Other information, such as legal notices and claims may be required by some countries for your product packaging.
The legal notices and claims section of your product packaging will be visible to customers. Legal notices may include important information about the product’s ingredients, usage instructions, warranty information and other valuable pieces of information.
Some countries have specific requirements for legal notices that must be included on your product packaging. For example, in France, Canada and the EU member states (except for Iceland), there are specific regulations on how to display nutritional details such as energy value or percentage of fat content. In addition to these rules for displaying nutritional information, some countries also require a declaration about the presence of allergens in foods like nuts or gluten in bread products. Some countries require that certain types of food packaging contain warnings about their contents such as alcohol content or age restrictions (e.g., cigarettes).
Are you going with export or sales in the target country? packagings should be different for those two conditions.
The packaging of your product should be adapted to the target country. The packaging is a crucial element of your product, and it plays an important role in its success or failure. It must be attractive enough to catch the attention of consumers, but it must also provide relevant information about your brand and product.
Packaging should be different for export and sales in the target country. Packaging should also be adapted to the target market: if you are selling expensive products that require extensive explanation on how they work, then you will need more space than if you were selling cheap products without instructions (e.g., toothpaste). Furthermore, depending on where you are going with export or sales in general (which may vary greatly), there may be additional needs for appropriate packaging because some countries have specific legislation regarding this matter (e.g., France).
The earlier it gets in collaboration with your international team members, the faster you get results.
The earlier you start, the faster and more efficiently you will produce results. The earlier it gets in collaboration with your international team members, the faster you get results. This is especially true if your product listing includes many unique items with different names and descriptions that need to be localized. In addition, collaboration between teams can help identify issues or problems before they arise so they can be resolved before they derail your entire project or cause delays in reaching launch day.
So where do you start? This is where localization comes in — when you need to adapt content to fit into a local language or culture.
So where do you start? This is where localization comes in — when you need to adapt content to fit into a local language or culture. Localization can be done in several ways, depending on the type of content and the way it is used. For example, when creating marketing materials for an international audience (such as brochures), consider using fonts that are commonly found in other countries so that your marketing materials are easier to read for people who don't speak English fluently. If you're writing an article about the end of summer vacation season at a theme park, mention popular attractions by name instead of just referencing them as "the ride with all the lights."
First step is to find a language service provider that can provide high-quality translations by native speakers who are experts in your industry.
The first step is to find a language service provider that can provide high-quality translations by native speakers who are experts in your industry. Some examples of industries that need product packaging and labeling translated include:
Food and Beverage
Cosmetics and Beauty Products
Automotive Products and Parts
Check out our 5 tips for finding a good translation agency here! translators will help you handle all different types of content based on the source text you provide.
Once you've selected a translation agency, the next step is to make sure they can handle your product listing. It's important to think of this as a two-way process. You need to know if they're able to translate your content and then also determine if their translator can handle the specific type of source text you're sending over.
If you're not sure how translators will help, then check out our 5 tips for finding a good translation agency here! Translators will help you handle all different types of content based on the source text you provide.
They can also help with end-to-end services specific to product packaging & labeling projects such as glossary creation (for terminology consistency), style guide creation (for the lettering and design), and desktop publishing (to make sure everything fits perfectly!).
Conclusion
The key takeaway from this post is that it's important to understand the packaging and labeling requirements for each country where your product will be sold. If you want to sell your product on the global market, it's important to understand what product packaging, labeling, and listing localization are all about. As an example, a product label must include the name and address of the manufacturer/importer, barcode, instruction for use/storage (if applicable), and composition. Additionally, each country has its own requirements for ingredients labels. Other information such as legal notices may be required by some countries for your product packaging. Are you going with export or sales in the target country?



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