FedEx：解锁日本电子商务潜力 Unlocking Japan's E-Commerce Potential

UnlockingJapan's

E-CommercePotential

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UnlockingJapan'sE-CommercePotential

Tableofcontents

Foreword 04

Section1:E-commerceinJapan:ataglance 05

1.1OverviewofJapan’sE-commerceMarket 05

1.2WhoarethekeyplayersinJapan? 06

1.3OverviewoftheJapanesee-commercecustomer 07

1.4AdditionalfactorsuniquetotheJapanmarket 08

1.5TrendsandtheJapaneseMarketPost-Covid-19 09

Section2:Saleschannelsandplatformstogetstarted 11

2.1EnteringtheJapane-commercemarket,theeasyway 11

2.2Whichmarketplacetouse? 12

Section3:Buildingdemandandconvertsales 17

3.1OnlineShoppingBehaviour 17

3.2Top4ConsumerExpectations 18

3.3Howtoreachouttonewcustomers 19

3.4Whoisshoppingonline? 21

3.5ShoppingEvents 22

3.6AquicklookatthemajorsocialmedianetworksinJapan 23

3.7Influencers 27

02

03

UnlockingJapan'sE-CommercePotential

Tableofcontents

3.8TopSocialMediainfluencersinJapan 28

3.9Customerserviceandreviews/engagement 29

3.10PromotionsandLoyaltyprograms 30

3.11NativeLanguageSupport 31

Section4:Cross-borderseamlesspayment 33

4.1CurrentstateofpaymentsinJapan 33

4.2EvolvingPaymentLandscapes:Japan'sSwiftTransitionfromCashtoDigitalCommerce 34

4.3Digitalpaymentmethods 35

4.4TrendsinpaymentsystemsinJapan 37

Section5:E-commerceshippingthatdelights 40

5.1ShippingandFulfilmentinJapan 40

5.2Domesticlogisticoptions 41

5.3Crossborderlogisticoptions 42

5.4Fulfilmentoptions 43

5.5UsingAmazonJapanfulfilment 44

5.6GlobalShippingVs.Warehouse 46

5.7Documentationandpaperwork 51

5.8Prohibited,restricted,andcontrolleditems 52

5.9Legalregulationsforbusinesses 53

Checklisttogetstarted 55

References: 56

UnlockingJapan'sE-CommercePotential

Foreword

Foreword

Inanerawheredigitalizationisrapidlytransformingthewayweshop,live,andinteract,understandingtheintricaciesofe-commercebecomesincreasinglyvital.Thisreportservesasanindispensableguideforanyoneinterestedintheburgeoninge-commercemarketinJapan.

Fromconsumerbehaviouranddigitalpaymentmethodstothenitty-grittyofshippingdocumentation,thisreportoffersa360-degreeviewoftheJapanesee-commercelandscape.Itisatreasuretroveofinsights,whetheryouareabusinessleader,amarketer,oranacademicresearcher.

WhatsetsthisreportapartisitsfocusonJapan—amarketthatisbothchallengingandrewarding.Asthecountrymovestowardgreaterdigitalliteracyandautomation,understandingtheuniquecharacteristicsoftheJapaneseconsumerisessential.Thisreportnotonlyprovidesthatunderstandingbutdoessowithadepthofanalysisthatisraretofind.

Inaworldawashwithinformation,thisreportstandsoutforitscomprehensivenessandattentiontodetail.Itismorethanjustacompilationoffactsandfigures;itisaroadmapforsuccessintheJapanesee-commercemarket.

Wetrustthatyouwillfindthisreportbothenlighteningandactionable,servingasacatalystforyourfutureendeavoursinthecomplexyetexcitingworldofJapanesee-commerce.

*Pleasenotethatthise-bookisprovidedforgeneralinformationalpurposesonlyandisnotintendedtoaddresstheparticularcircumstancesofanyspecificentityorindividual.Markettrendsandstatistics,especiallythoseofaforeignjurisdiction,aredynamic,subjecttochange,andareinfluencedbymanyexternalfactors,suchas

internationalrelationsandpolitics.Pleaseensureyouthoroughlyconductyourownresearchandseekprofessionaladvicebeforeenteringaforeignmarketforbusinesspurposes.

04

E-commerceinJapan:

ataglance

Section1

1.1OverviewofJapan’sE-commerceMarket

Figure1.1.1:JapanE-CommerceSalesByType

371%52%

Figure1.1.2:E-CommerceConsumerProductSales

25,000

20,000

15,000

10,000

5,000

0

Electronics,

Audio

Equipment,

Appliances

Series1

ConsumerProductsServices

DigitalPurchases

HomeDecor,

Furnishings,

Lifestyle

Food,

Beverages,

Alcohol

ClothingApperal

AutomotiveOther

Books,Media

Cosmetics

05

WhileJapanisonlythe11thlargestcountrybypopulationwith124millionpeople,itisthethirdlargesteconomyintheworld,andthethirdlargeste-commercemarket,makingitanincredibly

attractiveareafornewbusinessdevelopment.Additionally,lowcross-borderbarriersforshoppingandrobustdomesticlogisticnetworksmakeexpansionintoJapanasafeanddependablebusinessdecision.

In2023,theJapanesee-commercemarketisexpectedtosurpass$134BillionUSD,withcrossbordersalesexpectedtoreachUSD29.4bnby2028,growingataCAGRof6.3%.

Projectionsstatethatthismarketwillcontinuetogrowatanevenfasterrateforthenextfiveyearsasmoreconsumerstransitiontoonlineshopping.

TheJapanesepopulationhasproventobedigitalsavvy,andtheyarenowequippedwitha

multitudeofdigitalpaymentoptions.Theyareservicedbyallmajorgloballogisticscompaniesinadditiontoreliableandeffectivedomesticshippingoptions.Asfarase-commercesalesareconcerned,thetop3leadingcategoriesincludeclothing,electronicsandfood.

Source:METI:SummaryofresultsfrommarketsurveyonE-Commerce

06

UnlockingJapan'sE-CommercePotential

Section1

1.2WhoarethekeyplayersinJapan?

Rakuten’srevenueforthetwelvemonthsendingJune30,2023was$14.815B,a2.78%declineyear-over-year.

RakutenleadsthepackinJapan,followedbytheAmazon.co.jponlinemarketplacewhichhasarevenueofover$12BillionUSD.OtherplayerssuchasYahoo!ShoppingandMercariallpullinexcessofover$3BillionUSD.

ItshouldbenotedthatAmazon.co.jpisafullylocalizedsubsidiaryofA,witheveryfunctionreplicateddomesticallyinJapan,

fromwebsitetowarehousingtologisticsandcustomersupport.ItoperatesoneofthelargestonlinestoresinJapan,andoneofthelargestB2B,B2ConlinemarketplacesandC2Cdirectsellingplatforms.Whilecompletelylocalinitsoperations,itstiestotheUSAalongwithitslocalwarehousing,fulfilmentandlogisticssupportmakeitanattractivepartnerforcrossbordercompanieslookingforanall-in-onesolutionforquickandeasyentrytotheJapaneseonlinestoremarket.

Japanesee-commercefirmslikeRakutenareexpandingintootherglobalmarkets.Theyarealsocreatingpathwaysandofferingsupporttohelpglobalbusinesses.ThisassistancemakesiteasierforthesebusinessestoentertheJapanesemarketplaceusingRakuten'snetworks.

CrossbordershoppinghasbeenincreasinginJapanconsistently,howeveroveralltheimpactremainssmall.Thesharehasstayedataround2%oftheoverallmarket.However,itfindsithardtogrowatthesamespeedastheoverallmarket.Thisiswhenlookingatitspartinthe

entiree-commercemarket.

NumerouscomplicationsandidiosyncrasiesoftheJapanesemarkethavehamperedwiderpenetration,includinglanguageandtechnical,trustandoverallvisibility/education,butthecurrentsmallsharepointstotremendousopportunitiesforglobalsellerslookingtoenterthemarketinJapan.

07

UnlockingJapan'sE-CommercePotential

Section1

1.3OverviewoftheJapanesee-commercecustomer

Japan’se-commercemarkethasbeenconsistentlygrowingeachyear,makingJapanoneofthemostattractiveareasforfindingcustomersonline.However,thereareafewpointsthatmakeJapanadifficult

markettoenter.

AkeypointinsuccessfullyenteringtheJapanmarketistolocalizeyourstorecontentfortheJapanesemarket.Japanhasaverylowrateof

Englishfluency,andrankedateightiethinasurveyofEnglishproficiencyin112non-Englishspeakingcountriesandregions.Assuch,websites

andproductswithoutlocalizedJapanesedescriptionshavelowsuccessrates.Oneofthekeycomplicationsinlocalizationhasbeenthepoor

qualityofmachinetranslationtoJapanese.Japaneseisrecognizedasoneofthemostchallenginglanguagesforachievingnatural-soundingtranslationsthroughsoftware.Consequently,mostcross-bordersellersoptfortraditionaltranslationservices,althoughthisincursadditional

expenses.Astranslationtechnologyimproveshowever,more

localizationoptionsareappearingforbothwebsitetranslationaswellascustomerserviceandoperationalsupport.

UnlockingJapan'sE-CommercePotential

Section1

1.4AdditionalfactorsuniquetotheJapanmarket

AnothercharacteristicoftheJapanesee-commerceshopperisthatpriceisamajormotivatorwhenchoosingtopurchaseonline,withover90%ofpurchasesat

eithercheaperorthesamepriceasin-storesales.Thishelpsoverseassellerswhoareabletocompetewithlowercosts.Asmanyas44%ofJapaneseshoppersuse

pricingaggregationswebsitessuchastodotheirresearch.ForstoresthatsellprimarilythroughB2Cportals,itmaybedifficulttogetlisted.AsthemajormarketplacewebsiteslikeAmazon.co.jpandRakutenareusuallyprominentlyfeaturedonthesepricecomparisonwebsites,thismaybeanattractivemethodtoreachouttoJapanesebargainhunters.

Japaneseshoppersoftenfavourinternationalpurchasesduetotheattractivepricingofferedbyforeignbrands.

Brandloyaltyandgoodproductqualityareimportantwhenpeoplearedecidingwhattobuy.However,havingagoodpriceisalsoveryimportant.Onlineplatformsareoftenexpectedtoofferbetterdeals.Thisisespeciallyimportantforresellerswhosellwell-knownbrandsandfacecompetitionfrommanyothersellers.

YetanothercharacteristicofJapaneseonlineshoppersisboththepopularityofdifferentpaymentmethods,aswellasthecharacteristicsofsomeuniqueoptions

commoninJapan.Whenitcomestoonlineshopping,creditcardsreignsupreme.Moreover,theJapanesehaveapenchantforaccumulatingpointsandleveraging

loyalty"shopcards"toearndiscountsandcashbackrewards.Currently,creditcardpaymentsarebyfarthemostpopularformofpaymentforonlinepurchases(64%).Still,cashremainsafavouredmethodofpayment(8%),duetotheubiquitousnatureofconbini-barai,ortheabilitytomakecashpaymentforbillsandgoodsatany

conveniencestorenationwide.CashpaymentscanalsobemadeusingeitherChaku-barai,wherereceiverpaysshippingcharges,andDaibiki,similartoCOD,whereasmallfeeischargedandthedeliverycourierwillcollectpaymentforgoodsdirectlyfromthereceiver.

Digitalwalletsarealsoincreasinginbothpopularityandvariety,andareprojectedtoovertakecreditcardsinjustafewyears.Traditionally,Japanembracedcashtransactions,butthetideisshiftingquickly.Government-supportedincentivesarepushingtheriseofmobilebarcodepaymentmethodslikePayPay.

08

UnlockingJapan'sE-CommercePotential

Section1

1.5TrendsandtheJapaneseMarketPost-Covid-19

RecentchangesinJapanhintatfutureshiftsinthee-commercemarketthatmayopennewopportunitiesforglobalsellers.

In2023,themarketformobilecommercesolutionsinJapanreachedavalueof$130.5billionandisexpectedtogrowatacompoundannualgrowthrate(CAGR)of28.4%through2030.Bytheendofthisperiod,it'sforecastedtoexpandto$1237.6billion.M-commerce(mobilebasede-commerce)isverypopular,notablyina

countrywherelongcommutesarecommonplaceandsmartphonesadoptionratesareexpectedtoreach92%by2025.Alongwithlanguagelocalization,mobilefriendlyshoppingplatformsareamust-haveforreachingouttothelargestgroupofpotentialcustomers.

ItiswellknownthattheJapanesesocietyisaging,withthepopulationshowingaslightdeclineinrecentyearsandtheaverageagecreepingup.Alongwiththisshifthowever,thepercentageofJapaneseusinginternet,smartphones,andonlineshoppingcontinuestoincreaseasthepopulationmovesquicklytowardstotaldigital

literacy.Alongwiththisisagreaterinterestinautomationandtechnicalsolutions.Asmoreconsumersareswitchingfromtraditionalformsofcommercetoe-commerce,consumerspendinghasalsobeenincreasing,furtherboostingthemarketgrowth.

WithCOVID-19changingrulesandbehavioursacrossthecountryfrom2020,numerousotherindustrieshaveseenthebeginningsofsimilartransformations.

PlatformslikeRakutenandZozotownhavelaunchednewfashionorientedplatformsinresponsetoincreasingdemandforbothnewproductsandinnovationsintheplatform.Onlinesizingguidesandcolourmatching,aswellasliberalreturnandexchangepolicieshavecontributedtoincreasedpopularityoffashionaswellashomefurnishingbrands.Onlinefoodsales,bothfordomesticmarketsaswellasforeignimportshaveseenincreasedinterestaswell.

TheJapanesemarketcontinuestoofferacompellingcaseforglobalsellerslookingtoexpandtheirreach.Withalarge,educatedpopulation,experiencedin

e-commerce,businessfriendlyandwelldocumentedtradepoliciesforcrossbordersellers,andstable,developedlogisticsanddistributionnetworksinplace,thereisspacefornearlyeverytypeofbusiness.ButtobesuccessfulintheJapanesemarkethasbeenelusiveformanycompanies,andrequiresresearch,preparationandasoundentrystrategy.

09

10

UnlockingJapan'sE-CommercePotential

Section1

Keytakeaways·

Japanthethirdlargeste-commercemarket.Itsrevenuehassurpassed$134billionUSDin2023

Rakuten,Amazon.co.jpandYahooShoppingarethetoponlinemarketplacesinJapan.

Creditcardpaymentsarebyfarthemostpopularformofpaymentforonlinepurchases(68.4%marketshare).

Alongwithlanguagelocalization-whichbuildstrustamongcustomers,mobilefriendlyshoppingplatformsarea

must-haveforreachingouttothelargestgroupofpotentialcustomers.

Saleschannelsandplatforms

togetstarted

Section2

2.1EnteringtheJapane-commercemarket,theeasyway

TheJapanesemarketisbigandappealing,butithasitschallengesforforeigncompaniestryingtoreachlocalcustomers.WithoutawebsiteinJapanese,customersmightavoidbuyingduetolanguageissues.WhiledealingwithEnglishwebsites,differentpaymentmethods,importtaxes,andinternationalshippingmightbeokayforloyalbrandfansorbargainhunters,it'snotsoforaveragebuyers.Especiallyforthosewhocomparepricesonwebsiteslike,it'stoughforforeign

brandstogetnoticed.

Luckily,Japanhasanincrediblyrobustanddiversee-commercemarketplaceenvironment.Theequivalenttoonlineshoppingmallsorfleamarkets,these

marketplacesputproductsfromallsellersonequalgroundandallowcomparisonshopperstoaccesscompanies,bothdomesticandoverseasallfromthesame

searchquery.Marketplacesprovidemanyfeaturesandservicesforsellers.Theyhelpinsettingupprofessionalonlinestorefrontsquickly.TheyalsoassistinadaptingcontentforJapanesecustomers.Moreover,theycantakecareofcustomersupportanddeliverylogisticsforacertainfee.

Bygatheringinformationandprovidingservicesfortheneedsofoverseassellers,marketplaceshavebeenapopularfirststopforcrossbordercompanieslookingtoentertheJapanesemarket,orevenestablishedcompanieswhowanttoincreasetheirmarketshareandbrandrecognition.Whiletherearemanydifferent

marketplacestochoosefrom,eachoffersdifferentservices,feesandcommissions,andaccesstotheirowngroupsofcustomers.Choosingonecouldbethemostinfluentialdecisionforthesuccessforacompanylookingtostartexpandingintothelucrativee-commercemarketinJapan.

11

UnlockingJapan'sE-CommercePotential

Section2

2.2Whichmarketplacetouse?

Amazon.co.jpRakutenIchiba

E-commerceSiteRanking

1

2

Visitspermonth(Mil)

586.7

532.1

Type

OnlineStore+Marketplace

Marketplace

Revenue(Yen)

3.2trillion

1.9trillion

Feesandcharges

SetupFee

0-4900yen

60,000

MonthlyFee

0-4,900Yen

50,000

Commission

8-15%

2-4.5%

PertransactionFee

Yes

No

Fulfillment

Yes

Yes

EnglishSellerSupport

Yes

Yes

CustomerSupport

Yes

Yes

StorefrontSetupSupport

Yes

Yes

DomesticCompany

RegistrationRequired

No

Yes

12

Source:1.

/statistics/1183873/japan-gmv-leading-e-commerce-platforms/

2.

/statistics/326317/japan-online-shopping-properties/

UnlockingJapan'sE-CommercePotential

Section2

Amazon.co.jp

AmazonJapanistheeasiestmarketplaceforoverseasbusinessestousetoentertheJapanesemarket.Asaseparatecompany,existingAsellerswillneedtocreatenewaccountsontheJapaneseplatformtobeginsellinginJapan.However,thesystemisessentiallythesame,withthesameinterface,manyofthe

sametypesoffeesandpolicies,andafullyEnglishlanguageinterface.

AmazonJapanhasthelargestcustomerbaseofalle-commercesitesandwillsharesignificantdataanalyticstohelpyouimproveyourstoreandreachthelargestaudiencepossible.

AmazonJapanalsooffersthemostrobustpackageofstoreoptions,includingorderfulfilmentthatsetsit

apartfromothermarketplacewebsitesinJapan.Withorderfulfilment,saleitemscanbeshippeddirectlytoAmazonwarehousesandstoredthereawaitingshipmenttocustomers.Amazonwilltakecareofdomestic

packingandlogistics,tremendouslyreducingboththecomplexityofoperationsandtheshippingtimeforcustomers,akeyfactorinpurchasingdecisions.Fortheseller,thismeansanincreaseintheoverallcost.

JapanesespeakingcustomerserviceisalsoauniqueserviceofferedbyAmazonJapan.AsAmazoncan

handlemostlocallogisticalandsupportneedsforanyonlinestore,itistheonlymarketplacethatdoesnotrequiresellerstohavealocallyregisteredcompanyordistributionpartner.Amazonoffersthebestpackage

forquicklystartinganewe-commerceventureintoJapan.However,thedrawbacksarelimitedcustomizationofstoredesign,andadd-onservicescandrivecostsuphigherthanothers.

13

Source:1.

/statistics/1183873/japan-gmv-leading-e-commerce-platforms/

2.

/statistics/326317/japan-online-shopping-properties/

UnlockingJapan'sE-CommercePotential

Section2

RakutenisthelargestfullyJapanesee-commercecompanyinJapan.Itallowsforfargreater

customizationofstoredesignandbrandingoptionsthatmakeiteasierforoverseasbusinesseslookingtoexpandtheircustomerbaseinJapan.Italsooffersmanyofthesamefeaturesandsupportoptionsthat

Amazondoes.ForcompaniesthatuseAmazonJapanaswellasRakuten,itispossibletouseAmazonfulfilmentasthedomesticlogisticspartnerforyourRakutenstore.

Rakutenhasahigherinitialsetupcostaswellashigherthanaveragemonthlyfees,inpartduetothetopofclasssellersupportoffered.Rakutenstorefrontscanbeheavilycustomizedtosellerrequirementsanddesignphilosophy.Establishedsellerscanmakemoremoneybytailoringtheirstoretypesandfeatures.

Thisway,theycanlowerfeesbasedontheproductstheysellandthecustomerstheytarget.ThisapproachcanbemoreprofitablecomparedtoAmazon'ssimpler,butmorestandardizedmethod.

CustomeranalyticsandcampaignsalsomakeRakutenthestrongestoverallmarketplacewebsiteinJapan.

GettingstartedonRakutenmightbetoughsinceeachstoreisquiteunique,andkeepingyourstore

updatedtakesagoodamountoftime.Thecompetitionisstrongonthisonlinemarketplacebecauseit'seasyforbuyerstocompareprices,whichisabigfactorintheirdecision-making.Whenpricesaresimilaracrossdifferentstores,thedesignofyourstoreandhowwellitfitsthelocaltastesbecomesmore

important.EventhoughsettingupastoreonRakutencanbecostly,theyprovidestrongsupportandadvicetohelpyoumakeyouronlinestoresuccessful.

RakutenIchiba

Ren

14

Source:1.

/statistics/1183873/japan-gmv-leading-e-commerce-platforms/

2.

/statistics/326317/japan-online-shopping-properties/

UnlockingJapan'sE-CommercePotential

Section2

Yahoo!Japan

Apartfromthetwoe-commercegiants,Japanboastsalargenumberofsmallerandhighlydiverse

marketplacewebsitesthatalsooffergreatvalueforoverseascompanies.Yahoo!Japanisonesuch

companythatoperatesglobally,andhasnumerousoptionsforoverseasbusinessesthatarelookingtobuildorexpandtheircustomerbaseinJapan.Yahoo!JapanoffersbothatraditionalmarketplaceandwellasoneofthelargestauctionsC2CwebsitesinJapan.

Whilethesesmalleroptionsofferlessfeatures,likeorderfulfilmentanddesignconsultation,theyhaveamuchlowerfee,particularlyforsmallvolumeoperations.ThismakesthemveryattractivefortestingthewaterswithoutmakingalargeinitialinvestmenttostartyouronlinebusinessinJapan.Theycan

alsobeeasilyaddedtoanexistingmarketstrategyalreadysetupwithothere-commerceoptionsifyoualreadyhaveapresenceinJapan.

15

Source:1.

/statistics/1183873/japan-gmv-leading-e-commerce-platforms/

2.

/statistics/326317/japan-online-shopping-properties/

UnlockingJapan'sE-CommercePotential

Section2

Keytakeaways·

Usingane-commercemarketplaceisaneasywaytostartengagingdirectlywithJapanesecustomers

AmarketplacesuchasAmazon.co.jpoffersnotonlyadomesticlogisticalpartnership,butalsooffersservicessuchaspaymentsupport,customerservice,andlocalizationofyourproduct

pages.

ItisimportanttounderstandimportrequirementsforyourproductsasbothJapanesecustomsand3PLcompanieswillhavestrictguidelinesforshippingcertaintypesofgoods.

16

Buildingdemandandconvertsales

Section3

3.1OnlineShoppingBehaviour

Figure3.1.1:MostpopularcategoriesforonlinepurchasesinJapanasofDecember2023

Clothing

Books,movoes,music&games(excludingdownloads)

Food&beverages(excl.restaurantdelivery) Cosmetics&bodycareDrugstore&healthproductsShoes

Bags&accessoriesConsumerelectronics(e.g.,TV,smariphones)

HouseholdappliancesStationery&hobbysuppliesFumiture&householdgoodsAccessories

Bags&luggagePetproducts

Sports&outdoorproductsDIY&gardenproductsToys&babyproducts

IhavenotboughtanythingonlineOther

051015202530

AppareltopsthelistofonlinepurchasesamongJapaneseconsumers.

AsperinsightsfromeShipper,electronicsisemergingastheglobalfrontrunnerinthe

eCommercegrowthtrajectory.

Whenturningtointernationalretailers,

Japaneseshoppersalsooptforsupplements,beauty,andpersonalcareitems.

TheeCommercesectorswitnessinga

burgeoninggrowthinJapannotablyincludecosmetics,electronics,andfurniture.

11%

11%

11%

15%

15%

18%

18%

4%

4%

8%

8%

30%

22%

21%

10%

17%

14%

9%

7%

Theallureofinternationalsellersliesintheirprovisionofproductsthatareotherwisehardtocomebyinthe

Japanesemarket,coupledwitha

broaderselectionandtheappealofcost-saving.Therangeofonline

purchasesspansfromtokensofaffectiontodailygroceries,

encompassingitemsofhomedecortoathleticequipment,andmuch

more.

17

Source:Source:Statista

18

UnlockingJapan'sE-CommercePotential

Section3

3.2Top4ConsumerExpectations

UnderstandingJapaneseconsumerexpectationsiscrucialforinternationalbusinessesaimingtobridgeculturalgaps.Herearethetopfourexpectations:

01

Swift,CustomizableShipping

Japan'scompactgeography

enablesretailerstooffersame-dayornext-daydeliveries,settinga

precedentforrapidshipping.

Beyondspeed,flexibilityiskey;

Japaneseconsumersappreciatetheabilitytopersonalizedeliveryschedules,apracticetheyexpectregardlessoftheseller'slocation.

03

Complete

Transparency

Japaneseconsumerstendtobescepticalandvalueuserreviewsoverexpertopinions.

Ensuringeasyaccessto

well-translatedcustomerreviewscanhelpbuildtrust.Featuring

rankinglistsofproductsalso

providesinsightintopopular

choicesamongpreviousbuyers.

04

Comprehensive

ProductInformation

Japaneseconsumersoften

researchextensivelybeforemakingapurchase.

Leveragingthisbyproviding

detailedproductdescriptions,

features,purchaseoptions,

dimensions,andreviewscanbe

beneficial.Additionally,clear

instructionsonproductreturns

addressanotherconsumerconcern,enhancingtheshoppingexperience.

02

LoyaltyRewards

NearlyhalfoftheJapanese

shoppersareswayedbyrewards

programswhenchoosingwheretoshop.

Commonly,apoints-basedrewardssystementicescustomersby

offeringdiscountpointsoneach

purchase,fosteringrepeatbusinessandstrengtheningbrandloyalty.

UnlockingJapan'sE-CommercePotential

Section3

3.3Howtoreachouttonewcustomers

Oct2022

Nov2022

Dec2022

Jan2023

Feb2023

Mar2023

Apr2023

May2023

June2023

July2023

Aug2023

Sept2023

First,weshouldlookathowJapanese

customersfindyou.WhileGoogleholds

theoverwhelmingdominancefor

internetsearchingintheworld,Japanmaintainsafewotherpopularoptions.Indeed,whileGoogleholdsnearly75%oftheJapanmarket,bothondesktopandmobileplatforms,Yahoo!maintainsastrongloyaltyinJapan.ThisisdueinparttoYahoo!’searlyembraceof

supportforJapaneselanguagesearch.

Source:Statcounter

Figure3.3.1:StatCounterGlobalStats

DesktopsearchenginemarketshareJapanfromSept2022-Sept2023

80%

64%

48%

32%

16%

0%

GooglebingYahoo!DuckDuckGoBaiduOther(dotted)

17.3%

Bing

8.47%

Yahoo

73.17%

Google

0.82%

Other

DesktopSearch

19

UnlockingJapan'sE-C