Case Study: Expanding a Leading Canadian Retailer into Québec

The Client

A leading Canadian online retailer with 250 employees and $65 million in annual revenue, offering over 20,000 products across health, wellness, and lifestyle categories. Already well established in English-speaking Canada, the brand aimed to unlock growth in Québec - a distinct and culturally rich market. Before our engagement, the client’s website was only available in English, leaving a significant portion of the Canadian market untapped.

The Brief

The client wanted to:

  • Successfully launch their brand in Québec

  • Build credibility with French-speaking consumers

  • Drive visibility and sales in a new market without losing their existing brand identity

The Challenges

  • Low brand awareness: The retailer was unknown in Québec and had no organic or paid presence in French.

  • Massive content scope: 20,000+ product sheets required translation, with no clear prioritization of high-value categories.

  • Cultural adaptation: Humor, consumer values, and campaign hooks often fell flat when directly translated.

  • Customer insights gap: No way to measure how translation/localization efforts resonated with French-speaking audiences.

  • Legal complexity: Québec consumer laws differ from the rest of Canada, requiring compliance for campaigns and contests.

The process

Phase 1: Audit & Prioritization
(1 month)

  • Mapped and prioritized key website sections.

  • Built a strategic, phased roadmap

Screenshot of a marketing website featuring a Black Friday campaign.

Phase 2: Initial Translation & Launch (4 months)

  • Oversaw the translation of key website content, including the full website taxonomy, category pages, and corporate and transactional pages ("About us," "Shipping & Returns," "Checkout," etc.).

  • Fully localized high-value categories: Baby Products & Food Supplements.

Image of strings in the translation software.

  • Built scalable workflows with a translator team using Smartling CAT tool. 

  • Transcreated all blog posts and seasonal campaigns (Black Friday, Easter, Christmas), and created localized landing pages.

  • Adapted SEO and SEA keywords for Québec search behaviors.

  • Designed localized email templates in Salesforce Marketing Cloud for the Québec market.

  • Developed an influencer marketing program to build brand trust in Québec.

  • Collected consumer insights via SurveyMonkey to focus French efforts.

Phase 3: Market Engagement & Growth (1 year)

Image of a marketing email
Screenshot of a marketing website featuring back to school items.

Phase 4: Ongoing support & QA (Ongoing)

  • Oversaw translation and quality assurance for over 20,000 product sheets.

  • Supported the creation of ad hoc campaigns and communications.

  • Provided regular insights and strategic recommendations based on analytics.

Screenshot of an Instagram post in English and in French.
Screenshot of an Instagram post in English and in French.

The Outcomes

Since the beginning of the project in 2021:

  • Boosted visibility & trust: The brand is now widely recognized in Québec communities. Reddit threads describe it as “awesome” and “reliable”.

  • New market unlocked: Following the expansion into Québec, revenue increased by 55% over the past three years while visits on the website increased by 82%.

  • Influencer traction: 11 local influencers now collaborate with the brand, driving measurable sales lift.

  • Campaign impact: Localized landing pages outperform simple translations by 25-40% in conversion rates.

  • Customer engagement: First consumer feedback loop established, helping optimize future campaigns.

Tools

  • Smartling (CAT tool & workflow automation)

  • Asana (project management)

  • SFMC (emails & automation)

  • SurveyMonkey (customer insights)

  • SEMRush (SEO strategy)

Customer feedback

 « J'adore leur site, leurs produits et la livraison est toujours rapide et fiable. Super aussi pour les articles ménagers ! »

« Super site web avec un service client absolument incroyable. Je commande une fois par mois pour les essentiels et à chaque fois que je suis à court de mes produits de soin de la peau/pour la maison. Je recommande absolument [the brand]. »

Key Takeaway

By combining cultural insight with scalable localization workflows, the retailer transformed from a complete unknown in Québec to a trusted one-stop shop for French-speaking consumers, unlocking an entirely new growth market.

Ready to expand your brand into Québec, France or Belgium? Contact me today to discuss your market expansion strategy or download our free market expansion checklist for Québec 👇

Cover page of the free localization checklist.