German, Spanish or Italian: which market to open first

“Which language do we start with?” For a company based in France or another EU country, Germany, Spain and Italy are the three large EU markets that each require a language of their own. All three have a case, and all three cost a language maintained over time. This article compares what the public figures say, what each market demands beyond translation, and how to decide with your own data. It extends our articles on website translation and opening new markets.

Three markets, three profiles

Size first. According to Eurostat, Germany is far more populous than its two neighbours:

But population does not say how many people buy online. Eurostat’s annual survey of internet use by individuals gives a different order: Italy, more populous than Spain, buys markedly less online.

These averages cover all online purchases, from clothing to travel. They say where the habit of buying online is established, not whether your product or service will find buyers there.

German: the largest market, the most demanding

Germany combines size with the habit of buying online. It also stands out for its attachment to its language: in CSA Research’s survey of 8,709 online shoppers in 29 countries, Germany leads among those who buy only on websites in their own language, at 57% of respondents. An English version is not enough to sell there.

Three requirements to plan for:

• Legal notices. A commercial site must display an “Impressum”: according to the Munich chamber of commerce, section 5 of the German Digital Services Act (DDG) requires, among other things, the provider’s name, address, contact details for quick contact, company registration and VAT number. The exact content is checked with a lawyer.
• Tone. Formal (“Sie”) or informal (“du”): the choice depends on the sector and is set once in the brand glossary.
• Layout. German compound words are long, and the W3C notes that they do not always wrap on their own: buttons and menus are checked in the language.

German also opens Austria and German-speaking Switzerland. Switzerland is outside the EU: another currency, its own customs and VAT. One translation can serve all three countries, but not the same prices or terms, as explained in localize, don’t just translate.

Spanish: one language, several markets

Spanish is the language of the three that reaches furthest, well beyond Spain. It is also the most contested online:

Opening Spain does not open Latin America. Vocabulary changes (“ordenador” in Spain, “computadora” in Mexico), as do currency, taxes, shipping and payment methods. A version for Spain is declared es-ES in hreflang tags, and a version for Mexico is built separately, with its own keyword research: we explain why in keywords abroad: redo the research, don’t translate it.

Italian: a smaller online market, less crowded

Italy buys less online than its neighbours, but the share is rising: it gained more than two points between 2024 and 2025 in the same Eurostat series. The W3Techs table shows the other side: roughly half as many sites in Italian as in Spanish or German. Less content in competition does not guarantee fewer commercial competitors, but a precise, well-built Italian page finds its place more easily.

Italian also opens Ticino, in Switzerland, with the same caveats as German-speaking Switzerland: another currency, other rules.

What really decides: your own data

National averages describe a country, not your demand. Four questions matter more:

• Does demand already exist? The Countries tab in Search Console shows the countries that already send impressions and clicks, and the queries typed in their language. The method is detailed in our article on international SEO.
• Can you ship and handle returns? Lead times, costs, returns, compliance of the products sold.
• Can you answer? A customer who writes in Italian expects an answer in Italian. A reviewed translation is often enough at first, as explained in translating customer support emails without hiring.
• What does the language cost over time? Initial translation, review, updates: the full calculation is in website translation cost: per word, per page, per market.

If an English-speaking market is also on the table, opening an English-speaking market: beyond language says what changes across the Channel or the Atlantic.

Test before translating everything

Opening a language in one go, every page included, commits a budget before you know whether the market responds. A limited test gives the answer for a fraction of the cost.

1. 01Choose one language

   The one where your data already shows a signal, rather than three at once.

2. 02Translate what attracts and what converts

   The main offer pages and the articles that already get visits, with a glossary.

3. 03Have the pages that sell reviewed

   By someone who writes the language, translator or copywriter.

4. 04Write down before launch

   The threshold that will make you continue or stop: impressions, enquiries, sales, and the date you will read it.

5. 05Decide on the planned date

   Extend the language, adjust, or close.

The test translation is done fast and at reduced cost: machine translation chosen on your texts (see DeepL, Google or an LLM), reviewed where it commits you (see translating your website with AI: automatic or reviewed?), and kept in a translation memory that will serve if the market is confirmed. For a catalogue, product pages for export says which products to start with, and for software, translating software or an app: strings, context, updates says what must be ready first.

Where to start

Open Search Console, Countries tab, over the longest period available, and note the impressions from Germany, Austria, Spain, Italy and Switzerland. Cross them with your shipping costs and your ability to answer in the language. The market that ticks all three boxes is your first test.

To make this choice with us, figures in hand, tell us about your business and the countries you are considering: we start from your data, not national averages.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

1. CSA Research, Can’t Read, Won’t Buy, July 2020 (new tab)csa-research.com
2. IHK München, Impressum im Internet (new tab)ihk-muenchen.de
3. W3C Internationalization, Text size in translation (new tab)w3.org