There are many advantages to doing business in Finland. Therefore, including Finnish localization in your overall business strategy brings multiple benefits. With a population of 5.5 million people, Finland has seen growth in its information and communications infrastructure, along with the gaming, cleantech, and biotechnology sectors. Besides, the Finnish government is proactive in attracting foreign investment into this Nordic country.
However, breaking into the Finnish market is not easy. Like most of their Nordic neighbors, Finnish consumers have high expectations when choosing brands and products. Moreover, the Finnish language is relatively complex. To successfully expand your business into Finland, you must specifically target the local audience and provide a very high-quality Finnish localization.
The Demand for Quality
For Finns, quality is one of the critical factors when making a purchasing decision and it applies to both the products and the services. In fact, quality and specialized services are more efficient or more cost-competitive than in other countries. Finns are conscious of factors such as where the product came from and how it was made. That’s why even if you use internationalization as part of your production stage, in terms of communication make sure you have excellent content localization.
To attract a Finnish audience, you must focus on providing a quality product and ensuring a positive customer experience – from start to finish. The Finnish government recognizes the importance of customer experience and invests in various companies and research institutions to improve it.
A Growing Tech Sector
Although Finland is traditionally known for its strong manufacturing industry, the tech industry has seen tremendous growth in recent years. Nowadays, this Nordic country is known for its export of technology and promotion of startups in the information and communications technology, gaming industry, biotechnology, and cleantech sectors. Over 300,000 Finns are working in technology companies and about 660,000 people work either directly or indirectly in the technology sector.
This emphasis on tech offers an excellent incentive for companies looking to expand into the Finnish market and localize their products to the Finnish market. The culture of innovation and growth fosters running a business that will connect with tech-savvy consumers. Localization in Finnish will give you that competitive advantage you need.
Internet Usage – One of The Main Reasons To Consider Finnish Localization For Your Online Content
With 92.5% of Finns using the internet, the country has one of the highest Internet user penetration rates in the world. Additionally, there are over 3.32 million e-commerce users in Finland. Mobile device purchases are steadily increasing, especially among millennials.
Therefore, you need to pay a lot of attention to digital marketing when reaching local audiences. Most Finns are on popular social media platforms like Facebook and YouTube. Younger audiences tend to use platforms like WhatsApp and Instagram. Targeting this audience requires meeting your consumers where they are by offering quality localized products and services. That’s why Finnish localization for your online content is a must-have.
Linguistic Challenges When Tackling Finnish Localization
Translating into the Finnish language is not an easy task. While considered part of the Scandinavian languages, linguistically, it is quite different. Swedish, Danish, and Norwegian belong to what is known as the Indo-European family of languages. Finnish is part of the Uralic languages.
These differences can make Finnish a difficult language to translate. Varying grammar rules, length of words and characters, and the language’s evolving nature are some factors that make it so challenging. Therefore, you must have a solid content localization strategy even before effectively starting to enter this market. As mentioned, the Finns are some of the most demanding consumers. And you need high-quality localization done by professional translators to provide a positive experience to this audience.
SandVox: Your Localization Agency
SandVox is a professional agency providing localization services to game developers and vendors from all around the world.
Whether you want to implement Finnish localization or want to conquer another country in the EU, Asia, or the USA, let us partner with you and help you to expand on the intended market. We’d love to be part of your next project. Contact us today for more information!
