Localization and customization

People always confuse these very different terms that have far reaching consequences in the online and tech world, especially when related to products.

Here’s what the Oxford dictionary says:

localize

(also localise)

• verb 1 often as adj. localized restrict or assign to a particular place. 2 make local in character.

customize

(also customise)

• verb modify (something) to suit a particular individual or task.

Quite a big difference actually.

To make something local then means to translate it so that the local language is used (a creative translation I would say, that can use local jargon and slightly adapt content to make sure the meaning and not the word is translated), to use local time zone and currency, to use local notation and format, local addressed etc etc. Localization is usually a must have (would you use a product that has US dollars when your accounting is in Euro? would you use an english spell checker for a french word editor? bla bla bla).

Quite a different thing is customization. It is about modifying something to suit a particular individual -or, better, set of requirements or needs. Customization is deeper in its nature. While localization might be putting a french dictionary in that English spell checker, customization might be adding that spell checker to a simple word editor that wasn’t intended to have a spell checker. It is about adding features and functionalities, changing processes and rules, data structure and logic, systems interaction and integration.

The dilemma between localization and customization of products is always quite heated. My experience tells me that for consumer web products (like websites), localization is, in many cases, what you really need, and customization is, quite often, a waste of money and resources.

In many cases customization is simply not economically viable. This is especially true in online and when you have presence in different countries. Scale -driven by standardization- more often than not allows teams to produce more features-rich products that have a higher ROI and consumer impact than locally customized products.

Also, strategically, if you operate in a busy segment where standardization is used, than it becomes pretty expensive to focus on customization and match the features offered of the competitors. This, unless you want to focus on a niche and premium segment.

Let’s look at Yahoo! Answers as an example: it is in many countries, yet its functionalities are consistent and common across all those countries (therefore no customization, not even for France!), but its language and message is adapted to the local uses and habits (therefore localization). Answers is a great product that works pretty well in every market (even France!), yet is not perfect in every market. The French might not get 100% of what would work perfectly in France, but they get 90% of what a pan-European team of developers can produce, which is much more that what a smaller French team focused on France can actually produce. Here’s the positive of standardization and localization: you get 90% of very good features, as opposed to 40% of perfect features. Which one is a better output? Which one is more economically sustainable? Clearly the answer is industry and application dependent, but in the case of online consumer products, usually 90% good (and fast) wins over 40% perfect.

Something many don’t realize are the hidden dangers of customization. Customizations create a huge heritage. If you have presence in 10 different countries, and a pretty complicated product, then the more you customize, the more baggage you will have to carry with you at any future release. If the product is standardized across countries (‘the maximum common denominator’ approach), then any new version can be built once and localized many times. If the product is customized, then every country/version requires specific attention. And this goes on top of localization. The risk is that the complexity of the customizations, the different versions, the whole baggage becomes so heavy that drammatically slows down progress on new releases, and you end up being held hostage by your past.