Top 10 Agency Operating Company Familiar with Amazon Japan
Introduction
Japan is an Asian country that is known for producing top-quality tech products. With 119 million of their total population which stands at 126.8 million connected on the internet, it is no surprise that e-commerce in the country is growing at an exponential rate. In fact, it is the 4th largest e-commerce marketplace worldwide only behind China, the U.S, and the U.K. Japanese use both mobile devices and computers to purchase a wide variety of products via the internet. As a result, we have seen several countries operate in the Japanese e-commerce market such as Amazon Japan, Rakuten, and Yahoo Auction enter the market. Check out the following list of agencies operating in the Japanese e-commerce market just like Amazon Japan.
1. Amazon Japan
Amazon is a leading e-commerce website in the world that was founded in the year 1994 in the USA before entering Japan. This website which started as a book store is now the go-to site for anybody who wants to buy books, food, toys, clothes, furniture, video streaming, and electronics products. Amazon Japan is the third-largest in the e-commerce market only behind Amazon US and Amazon Germany. The monthly visitors are estimated to be around 597.18 million, and Japanese people use the e-commerce website for e-commerce shopping, media, and news services. Therefore, site visitors can enjoy a wide array of products like jewelry, media among others.
Pros
- Trusted brand
Amazon is a reputable e-commerce website that is trusted by customers all over the world. Therefore, if you are selling on Amazon Japan you can negate concerns about the legitimacy of the e-commerce website or the product you are selling.
- Shipping FBA
This e-commerce website lets you choose Fulfillment by Amazon shipping in Japan which reduces the time you receive the goods.
Cons
- Fees
Both sellers and buyers have to incur extra costs while selling on Amazon Japan. If you are a seller, and you want to ship the goods yourself you will have to pay Amazon for every good that is shipped. On the other hand, if you are using FBA you will incur packaging and warehousing cost.
2. Rakuten
Rakuten is one of the major Japanese e-commerce company that was founded back in 1997 by one Hiroshi Mikitani, a businessman in Japan. This company allows its members who are over 10 million to shop at online stores as well as marketplaces through the Rakuten app or websites. When it comes to sales volumes, Rakuten competes with the largest e-commerce websites in the world. It generates over $2.3 trillion every year in online sales. Last year alone, this e-commerce company generated over $134 billion in e-commerce sales in Japan. The good thing about this e-commerce website is that it comes with committed staff who are ready to answer questions that may arise. Over the years, Rakuten has expanded by purchasing buy.com in the US, including other e-commerce sites such as play.com in the UK and PriceMinister in France.
Pros
- Variety of products
Rakuten has a wide array of products that are listed in multiple categories, and a seller can choose to sell anything they want. The price ranges for these products vary largely.
- Access to a large audience
Rakuten is one of the major marketplaces in the world that has millions of visitors browsing via listed items each month. Therefore, when you sell on this marketplace you will have access to a large customer base.
Cons
- Shipping and logistics
If you are new to e-commerce, it can be quite a task to handle shipping and logistics involved, including managing the cost and reliability.
3. Yahoo Auctions Japan
Yahoo Auctions is one of the largest customers to customer platforms thanks to the popularity and dominance of the Yahoo platform in Japan. It offers one of the most affordable, complete, and easy to use auction services available online. When you are looking for products to buy on this e-commerce website, you can narrow the options down to price, location, subcategory, and payment. If you are a merchant and you are looking for the best free auction service then you may like Yahoo Auctions because you will not incur a cost on listing or selling the product. This e-commerce platform allows you to sell items like footwear, clothes, and electronics at the best price. With this site, you can download Yahoo Seller’s Manager that allows you to manage inventory even if you are not online. Yahoo Auctions Japan which has estimated monthly traffic of 135 million visits.
Pros
- Free auction
It is arguably the best free auction service available online today. It does not charge sellers for listing or selling their products via the platform.
- Countdown ticker
This is a useful feature that allows users to countdown time of auction and you do not have to refresh the time to see if time is running out.
Cons
- No store can be opened
Compared to competitors you cannot open a store and cannot customize the layout on your website page.
4. Zozo Town
Zozo Town refers to a Japanese e-commerce website that is designed for footwear and fashion. This company was founded in the year 2004 as a mail-order firm and has expanded to become one of the biggest fashion retail companies in Japan that offers a wide array of clothes from both international and local brands. Besides, it has a custom brand known as Zozo that uses images to create a 3D scan of the body to make Zozo Suit. There are more than 6400 brands that have listed clothes in Zozo Town. Therefore, if you are looking for something casual, you can find the right size for T-shirts and jeans. So far Zozo Town has expanded to more than 72 countries as well as territories. Last year, Zozo Town was acquired by Yahoo Japan which looks promising for a company that is trying to establish itself in the fashion e-commerce business.
Pros
- Easy to use
Zozo Town is a platform that is well designed such that it is easy to search as well as find products.
- Round the clock operation
This e-commerce platform allows you to earn income 24/7 as you can sell your products anytime. The good thing is that you will not incur the seller’s fee.
Cons
- Account needed to make a purchase
If you want to buy a product from Zozo Town, you will need to open a Remambo account and make a payment from there.
5. DMM
Another agency to feature on this list of familiar company with Amazon Japan is DMM.com. This e-commerce and internet company was founded in 1999. It offers a wide range of products including games, e-books, mainstream DVD releases, in addition to online rental, mail order as well as video on demand. Since it was started over 2 years ago, this company has expanded its services into the 3D printing, solar panel industry, and offering charity auctions as well as forex service. DMM.com has estimated monthly traffic of 73.4 million visits.
Pros
- Personalized online experience
DMM has personalized landing pages for different customers which can encourage them to buy the products on sale.
- They recruit every day
In case you want to build a successful e-commerce business, you can join DMM.com and start to make a good income.
Cons
- Restrictions
The site has restrictions on how you can brand your online business and communicate with customers.
6. Yahoo Shopping Japan
Yahoo Shopping Japan which is owned by Chinese giants Alibaba as well as Soft Bank is one of the best agencies in Japan’s online marketplace sector. It sells a wide array of products which range from footwear and clothing to furniture, cosmetics, and personal care services. Yahoo Shopping Japan has estimated monthly visitors of about 90.04 million. This makes it the 5th largest e-commerce website in the world which sells a wide selection of products from footwear and clothing to furniture, cosmetics, and personal care services.
Pros
- No seller fees
Unlike competitors which charge you to sell your products on the platform, Yahoo Shopping Japan does not have seller fees. Also, all listings are free on the site.
- Easy to buy
Yahoo Shopping Japan makes it easy to purchase as they provide information related to seller, product, shipping, and payment.
Cons
- Listing restrictions
You cannot sell everything on Yahoo Japan as they put a restriction on the sale of prescription medications, illegal weapons, and adult materials.
7. Wowma
If you are looking for a site that is similar to Amazon Japan then you should look no further than Wowma. This e-commerce website has a collection of updated and modified items, which amounts to a catalog that is over 20 million products. You can purchase anything from furniture, clothing, cosmetics, electronics, decoration, and home equipment, as well as personal care and restaurant services. Also, it comes with a “Brand Square” corner that allows you to buy popular high-end products. Wowma which was founded by a company called KDDI has about 27.38 million visitors monthly.
Pros
- Loyal buyers
Compared to international marketplaces such as Amazon and Yahoo, Wowma gets most of its customers from Japan which means that you have an opportunity to build a loyal client in the country.
- Build trust
When you are selling from a reputable e-commerce website such as Wowma it allows you to build trust with the buyer.
Cons
- Highly competitive
In every niche, you will find a lot of sellers which makes it very competitive for you to sell your products on the platform.
8. Mercari
Mercari is an e-commerce marketplace in Japan that allows you to buy and sell products from different categories which range from toys to fashion and smartphones to other electronics. This marketplace has an app which is a live streaming function as well as Mercari Now service that allows sellers to receive payment directly. Mercari has estimated monthly visitors of up to 85.11 million. After achieving great success in Japan, it expanded to other territories including the US in 2014, and the UK in 2016.
Pros
- Flexible shipping options
Upon ordering your products, you can choose to organize your shipping or ask for shipping. The benefit of shipping with Mercari is that it comes with a flat fee shipping fee and you can enjoy shipping discounts.
- Low commissions on sales
When you compare Mercari to other marketplaces, you will find that it is cheaper because it has no hidden fees. Besides, you will need to pay only 10 percent on your retail sales.
Cons
- Scamming buyers
Mercari allows buyers to stay with the product they have requested a refund in case the seller did not claim the returned item. Because of this, this site has scamming buyers who are ready to take advantage of hardworking sellers.
9. Rakuma
Rakuma is another top agency which is similar to Amazon Japan. This e-commerce website is owned by Rakuten, which launched it in the year 2014. It focuses on fashion and beauty, including fighting for the smartphone marketplace with Mercari. The monthly estimated number of visitors every month is 14.7 million. This is an e-commerce flea marketplace that operates via mobile commerce. Rakuma allows you to sell and buy your items, electronics, clothes, toys, decoration, and home equipment. Also, Rakuma allows food producers and farmers to sell products via the application.
Pros
- Market your brand
In addition to selling your products on this e-commerce platform, you have the chance to market your brand as well. This is a big advantage because you can maximize your current customers and ensure that you are generating traffic.
- Lower seller fees
If you choose to sell on Rakuma, you will incur lower seller fees of 3.5% per sale.
Cons
- Not your clients
In a marketplace such as Rakuma, the customers are not yours. This e-commerce site only allows you to have access to their clients and sell your products. You cannot view the history of customers or the purchase frequency.
10. Qoo10 Japan
Qoo10 Japan is one of the best e-commerce marketplaces in Southeast Asia which has about 11.3 million visitors every month. It features a large portfolio of products which include mobile, sports, beauty, fashion, digital, food, living, life, entertainment, e-tickets, and books. Over the years, Qoo10 which is operated as a joint venture with eBay has expanded its operations in several Asian countries including Malaysia, Hong Kong, China, Indonesia, and Singapore.
Pros
- Sales promotion
Qoo10 Japan offers sales promotion to buyers based on a daily deal, time sale, and hottest deal which are attractive while the items are reasonably priced.
- Wide variety of products
The marketplace has a wide variety of products which makes it easier for buyers to find products the products they are looking for.
- Free listing
The listing is free and you are only charged when the sales are transacted. Hence, sellers can do a lot of listings.
Cons
- Unethical buyers and sellers
The site has unethical buyers and sellers who bring a reputation to the website. However, Qoo10 Japan is working hard to ensure the site is less of such people.
Final thoughts
E-commerce in Japan is growing and accounts for a large chunk of the country’s economy. This has opened a window of opportunity for e-commerce retailers to enter the market and take advantage of the booming industry. A majority of marketplaces in Japan listed above cover different categories such as clothing and electronics. In addition, these websites offer a great platform that merchants can expand their customer base and generate more sales. It is important to note that each marketplace comes with its pros and cons. Therefore, as a buyer or seller, you need to consider these before settling on one e-commerce company.