Everyone will have to sell something at least once in their life—whether it’s a school interview, a job interview, or an actual product. If you’re reading this, you’re likely a great salesperson already, thinking about who to sell to and what they want. Once you understand how Japanese consumers shop online in this huge market, your sales strategy will become much clearer.
❚ Japanese Shoppers You Didn’t Know
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Pride in Language
- Most of Japanese buyers only purchase from fully Japanese-language sites. Not just Rakuten, even global platforms like Qoo10, and Amazon Japan rely on perfect Japanese localization.
- English can be used as a design accent—but it must compete with Japan’s own rich calligraphy traditions.
- The inability to use accurate and polite Japanese can lead to doubts about one’s competence as a business operator. Poor translation often results in suspicion about the quality of the product itself. -
Text-First Pages
- Japanese users are very active on text-based X (Twitter) and have one of the highest newspaper subscription rates worldwide. This habit carries over into online shopping.
- Open any top-ranked item on Rakuten, then compare it to a Shopify store from your country. Japanese shoppers gather every detail before buying, so you must provide more information than you might elsewhere. -
Conservative Buying Mindset
- Many live in small studio apartments with limited storage. This drives a culture of buying one high-quality item and using it for a long time.
- The AISAS model was proposed by Dentsu, a Japanese ad agency. Reviews and word-of-mouth are the biggest factors in purchase decisions. -
Small-Screen Society
- Japanese spend most of their online time on mobile devices and are surprisingly comfortable shopping there. Mobile apps and browsers have higher conversion rates than PCs—though many still research details on a PC first.
❚ Hard to Get, So More Attractive
High-value customers want full verification. Japanese buyers take more time to decide but become fiercely loyal once they make a purchase—and they’ll proudly share their finds with friends and family.
❚ The Easiest and Fastest Way
The language barrier is high and customers need tons of info. Don’t worry—you only need to knock on Bottleship's door. Our experts, who’ve shaped Japan’s e-commerce for years, will guide you every step of the way.
