Internationalisation with Shopware 6

In today's globalised world, the internationalisation of an online shop is no longer just an option but often a necessity. For e-commerce businesses, expanding into international markets offers tremendous growth opportunities. It’s not just about acquiring new customers but also about securing market share and staying competitive.

The challenge, however, lies in the implementation. Different languages, currencies, legal frameworks, and cultural differences require a flexible and powerful e-commerce platform. This is where Shopware 6 comes into play. As one of the leading e-commerce solutions, Shopware 6 provides comprehensive tools and features specifically designed for internationalisation.

In this blog post, we’ll delve into the topic of "Internationalisation with Shopware 6." We’ll explore why Shopware 6 is an excellent choice for expanding into international markets and explain the various aspects of internationalisation step by step. From managing multilingual content and configuring international shipping and tax options to optimising for search engines in different languages – we’ll show you how to prepare your Shopware 6 shop for success in the global market.

Basics of Internationalisation

Language and Localisation

The ability to support multiple languages is an essential component of internationalisation. Shopware 6 provides language management tools that make it easy to create and manage multilingual content. In this section, we’ll look at how to set up and utilise these features.

Setting Up and Managing Multilingual Content

To create multilingual content in Shopware 6, the desired languages must first be added and configured in the backend. Here’s a step-by-step guide:

Add a Language:

• In the Shopware 6 backend, navigate to "Settings" and then to "Languages".
• Click on "Add Language" and create the required language.

Set Localisation & ISO Code:

• When creating the language, you can adjust the localisation settings. This includes date and time formats, number formats, and other specific settings that may vary by region.

Translate Content:

• To translate content such as product descriptions, categories, and CMS pages, navigate to the respective content in the backend.
• Select the language from the dropdown menu in which the content should be displayed, and then insert the translated texts.

Currency Management

A crucial factor for success in international e-commerce is the ability to display prices to customers in their local currency. In this section, we explain how to set up and manage multiple currencies.

Setting Up Multiple Currencies

To set up multiple currencies in Shopware 6, follow these steps:

Add a Currency:

• In the Shopware 6 backend, navigate to "Settings" and then to "Currencies".
• Click on "Add Currency" and enter the necessary information, such as the currency name, ISO code, and symbol.

Currency Configuration:

• After adding the currency, you can configure additional specific settings, such as price rounding. These settings can be customised for each country.

Set Default Currency:

• The default currency for each shop can be set in the sales channel by selecting the desired currency as the default.

Currency Conversion

Shopware 6 provides a predefined conversion factor for all common currencies. The base for the calculation is always the system currency in which Shopware 6 was installed. The factor for each currency can be manually adjusted and overwritten if necessary.

However, if there are significant fluctuations in exchange rates for certain currencies, it might be worth considering daily updates and sourcing conversion factors from an external provider (either manually or automatically).

By leveraging these features, online retailers can offer their international customers a seamless and trustworthy shopping experience that meets the expectations and needs of their respective target markets.

Shipping and Taxes in Shopware 6

Managing shipping options and configuring taxes are central aspects of internationalising an online shop. Shopware 6 provides extensive features to streamline these processes and meet the requirements of different countries.

International Shipping Options

To set up international shipping options in Shopware 6, follow these steps:

• Add Shipping Methods:

  • In the Shopware 6 backend, navigate to "Settings" and then to "Shipping".
  • Under "Add Shipping Method", enter the necessary details such as name, description, and target regions.

Configure Shipping Costs:

• Set the shipping costs for different target regions. This can be done either as a flat rate or based on weight, volume, the number of products, or the cart value. With the flexible Rule Builder, you have maximum freedom to configure the shipping costs according to your needs.

Integrate Shipping Providers:

• By integrating shipping providers such as DHL, GLS, or UPS, you can generate automatic shipping labels and use tracking information. Providers like Sendcloud combine various shipping services into one solution, which can be helpful when starting out. In the Shopware Store, under the section Shipping Providers, you’ll find all the necessary plugins for this topic.

Configuring Taxes for Different Countries

Configuring taxes for different countries is also straightforward in Shopware 6:

• Create Tax Rules:

  • Navigate to "Settings" and then to "Taxes".
  • Click on "Add Tax Rate" and enter the necessary details such as name, tax rate, and target regions.

SEO for International Markets in Shopware 6

Optimising content for search engines in different languages is crucial for success in international markets. After all, you want your content to be found in the target market.

Using hreflang Tags

• Implement hreflang Tags:

  • hreflang tags help search engines understand which version of a page is intended for a specific language or region. These tags can be enabled in the respective sales channel settings.

Differences Between ccTLDs and Language Setup as Subdirectory

• ccTLDs (country code Top-Level Domains):

  • ccTLDs such as .de for Germany or .fr for France signal to search engines that a website is intended for a specific country.
  • If you have set up multiple sales channels (one separate sales channel per domain) in Shopware, the hreflang integration with Shopware’s standard features is no longer possible. For this setup, we recommend using our plugin hreflang for multiple sales channels (TLDs) - international SEO.

• Language Setup as Subdirectory:

  • A language setup as a subdirectory (e.g., domain.com/de/ for Germany or domain.com/fr/ for France) can be easily configured using Shopware’s hreflang integration (as described above).

Conclusion

The internationalisation of an online shop is essential for accessing global markets and driving business growth. Shopware 6 offers comprehensive features to support this process, enabling the creation of a seamless and localised shopping experience for international customers. However, this article only scratches the surface of internationalisation. Each aspect – from translations to shipping and taxes, and even SEO – requires sufficient preparation, planning, and execution time.

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