Building a Multilingual Wix Store for International Selling

The Opportunity in Multilingual Commerce

Only 25% of internet users speak English. By adding languages to your Wix store, you unlock access to billions of potential customers. European markets alone represent massive untapped potential for English-only stores.

Setting Up Wix Multilingual

Wix Multilingual is a built-in feature available on all premium plans. It supports over 180 languages and handles translation management within your dashboard.

Adding Languages

Navigate to Wix Multilingual in your dashboard and add your target languages. Start with languages where you already see traffic or have market knowledge.

Priority languages for global e-commerce typically include Spanish, French, German, Arabic, and Portuguese. Each language creates a subdirectory URL structure that supports SEO.

Translation Workflow

Wix offers three translation approaches.

• Manual translation through the dashboard editor
• Automatic translation using machine translation for initial drafts
• Professional translation through integrated services

For e-commerce, we recommend machine translation as a starting point, followed by professional review of product pages and checkout flows. Marketing content and blog posts benefit most from human translation.

Currency and Pricing

Wix does not natively support multi-currency checkout. However, you can display prices in local currencies using apps or by creating separate product variants for different markets.

For serious international selling, consider whether Wix's currency limitations are acceptable for your business model. Shopify and BigCommerce offer more robust multi-currency support.

Localisation Beyond Translation

True localisation goes beyond word-for-word translation.

• Adapt product descriptions to cultural preferences
• Use locally relevant imagery and models
• Adjust sizing guides for regional standards
• Display prices with appropriate currency symbols and formatting
• Configure shipping options relevant to each market
• Comply with local legal requirements like GDPR and cookie consent

SEO for Multilingual Stores

Each language version of your store creates new SEO opportunities. Optimise meta tags and content for keywords in each target language. Do not simply translate English keywords, as search behaviour differs by language.

Wix automatically generates hreflang tags, which tell Google which language version to show in different markets. Verify these tags are correctly implemented using Google Search Console.

Challenges and Limitations

Wix Multilingual works well for stores targeting 2-5 languages. Beyond that, management complexity increases significantly. Consider these limitations.

• No multi-currency checkout without workarounds
• Translation management can be time-consuming for large catalogues
• Some apps do not support multilingual content
• Customer service must handle multiple languages

Measuring International Performance

Track key metrics by language and market. Compare conversion rates, average order values, and return rates across markets. Use this data to prioritise translation efforts and marketing spend.