Think you’re ready for Europe? Read this first

“Germans just don’t behave that way.”

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Let’s begin with an example. Walmart is, of course, an incredibly successful US retailer. They’ve got outlets across the Americas, India, and China — but they don’t have any in the European Union. 

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In the late 1990s, Walmart was indeed looking to expand into Germany, the largest European market. They bought out two big local chains and set up their own American-style stores. It was what you might call a copy-and-paste retail experience: just like in the US, they aggressively undersold local competitors, and they trained their workers to be more chatty with customers. 

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However, Walmart quickly faced constraints in Germany’s more stringent regulatory market, and German shoppers were uneasy about the American-style friendliness. According to a German union leader, “People found these things strange; Germans just don’t behave that way.”

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Walmart could never adapt to the German market, and the business ultimately lost 1 billion US dollars before pulling out of Germany in 2006.

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The lesson here is that, yes, localisation is about language. But it’s also about the tone of your brand and how it operates in other markets. Ignoring local norms — from personal space to shopping customs — will cost you.

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We understand why so many American businesses look across the Atlantic with yearning.  Europe is a giant market full of businesses and consumers hungry for services, especially in tech, e-commerce, and SaaS. At the same time, all these years later, we’re still seeing brands making the same mistakes as Walmart. Why?

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The two main content strategy expansion myths

There seem to be two persistent myths about content strategy and European expansion. 

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Myth 1: “Everybody speaks English.” Many Americans are convinced that existing English-language content will work across the European Union. While it's true that most Europeans can converse in a second language, according to CSA Research, it’s also true that 65% of consumers prefer content in their native language, and 40% will never make a purchase if the content is not in their language.

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Myth 2: “Translation = localisation.” Many among those who do recognise that it’s crucial to have content in local languages also mistakenly believe they can simply translate their content and call it a day. But “Europe” isn’t one market — it’s 27 countries with 24 official languages, and there are cultural differences even between countries that share the same language. 

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In short, failing to localise means a company risks losing a big chunk of the market. Even consumers proficient in English would rather do their online purchases in their own language. 

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This post isn’t about finger-wagging. It’s about pointing out previous mistakes so you can avoid them when you do your own European expansion. Here are more examples of what not to do and the lessons you can learn from them.

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Three classic localisation blunders 
Case 1: The badly named bangles

It’s not only Americans who make big mistakes in their European expansion. Mango is a Spanish clothing brand. In 2013, they were looking to sell bangles — those rigid, circular bracelets — to their French customers. 

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One Spanish term for “bangle” is “pulsera estilo esclava,” or “slave-style bracelet.” So Mango dutifully translated the term on its French website as “bracelets style esclave.” 

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The French Internet nearly exploded. Mango faced a heavy backlash on social media and in the press for its insensitivity, forcing a public apology and removal of the product name. It’s a clear case where a direct translation caused reputational harm. (It’s less clear why the term was acceptable in Spanish.) 

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The lesson: always check with local experts—just because someone speaks the language doesn’t mean they know all the nuances.

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Case 2: The even more poorly named blockchain business

A “nonce” is the technical term for a number used as a unique identifier in a blockchain. It’s also British slang for “pedophile.” 

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The people behind a US-based blockchain startup launched in 2021 were unaware of the second definition when they launched Nonce Finance. The story went viral in the worst way possible: UK Twitter was particularly merciless. The startup changed its name to Nibbl, but that didn’t help; in 2024, they went out of business. 

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The lesson: don’t assume that the terms are right just because they’re in the same language.

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Case 3: Keep your shirt on

Braniff Airline was a US-based carrier looking to promote its leather seats to the Spanish-language market. (This was way back in the 80s, when airlines actually wanted their customers to be comfortable.) The tagline they came up with: “sentado en cuero,” or “sit in leather.” Unfortunately, in colloquial Spanish, the phrase also means “sit naked.” It’s unclear if anyone took them up on the suggestion; it is clear that it was an embarrassing moment for Braniff. 

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The lesson: always use local language experts. 

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The glaring cost of getting localisation wrong 

Admittedly, most brands looking to expand into Europe won’t make mistakes on this scale. Most localisation missteps are usually more subtle. But that only makes them harder to detect without the right experts, and the fact remains that there are serious consequences to getting localisation wrong. 

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First of all, it can seriously damage your brand: in Latin America, 77% of consumers say they avoid brands after a bad localisation experience, and it’s not a stretch to think this applies in Europe as well: globally, 53% of customers stop buying after just one poor interaction.

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And these mistakes don’t just hurt your image; the impact goes beyond the perception of your brand. Poor localisation leads to delayed launches, wasted marketing spend, and lost revenue. Teams are forced to rework content, miss key market windows, and watch potential customers vote with their feet. 

So localisation isn’t just about translation — it’s a strategic investment in your customer experience. 

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Checklist: How to avoid these mistakes 

✅ Involve native writers and editors.

The examples above involve idioms that even a professional translator might miss. So it’s always a good idea when you’re localising to, well, use locals.
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✅ Localise tone, not just language.

Issues of formality vs. informality are very different across the EU, and humour can be especially tricky. When localising, consider the tone as well. 

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✅ Centralise workflows (avoid silos + manual processes).

Using a content scaler like Contentoo will help you avoid the silos that lead to communication errors. It’s also more efficient – it helps get everything done faster, without sacrificing quality. 
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✅ Build in time for cultural QC — not just proofreading.

Before you release your content, test names, campaigns, and copy with in-market experts.
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(Here’s our guide to an efficient content feedback process.)

In conclusion…

Expanding into Europe can mean massive growth, but many U.S. companies stumble in how they handle the most essential parts, how they speak to their audience, through content and localisation. So remember: localisation is more than just translation—it’s strategy, psychology, and local nuance. 

Successful entrants treat each country as a distinct market. They conduct in-depth cultural research and hire local expertise, rather than assuming what works in the U.S. (or France, the Netherlands, and so on) will work everywhere. 

As one expert put it, consumers are “unforgiving when it comes to avoidable errors and poor communication,” so investing in local market understanding is essential.

You can see examples of how Contentoo helps companies localise the right way here and here. 

Or just book a demo, and we’ll explain how we can help you expand into the European market without embarrassing missteps.