Have a product to sell online in Japan? Do you have a successful B2C-commerce strategy in the Japanese market? Although these are a couple of hurdles that oversee businesses need to overcome when entering the Japanese market. This article will introduce you to the easiest and fastest ways to start selling in Japan.
D2C via Your, eCommerce Website
However, it is recommended your entire website is properly localized into native Japanese. Without a Japanese version of your website, it will be more difficult to win over the trust of Japanese online shoppers.
As a newcomer to the Japanese marketplace, you need to run a brand awareness campaign and promotion across your digital channels and utilize search engine marketing, and social media. Selling directly to customers will require some investment in online advertising since you do not have an office in Japan or hire someone locally.
If you’re an unknown brand in Japan, then utilizing Japan’s popular marketplaces is the right step in the direction. The top marketplace includes AmazonJapan, Rakuten, and Yahoo! Shopping. A great advantage to these platforms is that million of Japanese online shoppers are already using them. Rakuten, Japan’s most popular marketplace, offers English support to overseas sellers. Also, you can leverage your visibility with PPC advertising. Furthermore, if you choose to sell on Amazon Japan, they offer FBA or Fulfillment By Amazon. This means that all the logistics are taken care of by Amazon. If you choose MCF or Multi-Channel Fulfillment, then Amazon can fulfill orders that come from other channels – like Rakuten.
Read here for the top eCommerce sites in Japan.
Distributor partnerships and third-party agencies
Local distributors and agencies have the market expertise and existing relationships when you start selling in Japan. An organization such as the Department for International Trade and Export to Japan can help you search for these sorts of partnerships.