Entering the Japanese market: Dos and Don’ts

Entering the Japanese market or expanding a business can be as challenging as it can be rewarding. In this article, we will present the dos and don ts. Learning from the faux pas of others is often the best way to move forward in a timely and efficient way. With 127 million inhabitants, a strong economy, and a low unemployment rate – 2.5 %- Japan is a great country to do business with or expand in. The SWOT analysis shown below provides the main opportunities and riks when doing business in the country of the rising sun and is adapted MARKETING91.

Doing business in Japan is somehow not a simple process and should be addressed in a very rigorous way. According to the latest World Bank report, Japan’s ease of doing business index ranks in the 39th position. Interestingly, this rank has been degrading steadily over the last ten years. The Japanese Government is actively promoting foreign trades, and organizations such as JETRO can be of valuable help.

Expanding business to Japan is a complex process. The worse strategy to implement when entering the Japanese market is the “Copy-Paste” one. The list is long of global players who failed and ultimately had to leave. Analyzing the reasons for these failures is an eye-opening exercise. It should help in defining the key elements to consider when preparing to enter a country that represents nearly 10% of the world economy.

Target quality and localize!

In 2009, Wendy’s Japan’s failure ended up with the closure of all of his 71 locations in Japan. Six years later, Wendy’s came back after buying the local company First Kitchen and decided to add pasta dishes to the traditional burger menus. In Japan, customization and exclusivity are paramount. Wendy’s burger chain offered exclusive products: Foie Gras burger, limited-time burgers, French toasts for breakfast. McDonald’s pursued the same strategy and provided more than fifty unique recipes:  Teriyaki burger, soy sauce, ginger chicken Tatsuta and even Chocolate Potato chips.

Despite partnering with Mitsubishi, British Health & Beauty giant Boots had a quick and costly experience in Japan. Lack of customization of the shops and products to the Japanese tastes as well as high costs of operation generated losses and, ultimately, the end of the experience.

The Vodafone test in Japan was also a massive failure. They did not invest enough in the infrastructure and in the products.  Japanese customers are very technology orientated and love novelty. The local companies always offer high-end technology products. Vodafone just did a copy-paste. They proposed the same handsets devices as in other countries. These devices did not appear to suit the tastes of Japanese customers. For Vodafone, the Japanese experience ended up in less than five years. The whole business sold for £8.9 billion to Softbank.

Do your homework!

More than 50 years ago, Carrefour invented the concept of Hypermarket. Despite operating more than 12,300 shops all over the world, Carrefour’s initial steps in Japan were a failure. Mostly due to a lack of in-depth analysis of the Japanese market and especially of the willingness of the Japanese customers to change their shopping habits. The shops and aisles were too big and intimidating for the Japanese customers. The management staff was mainly composed of foreign executives, not speaking Japanese. It brought communication problems in a country where only three-five p100 of the population speaks English. The products and sections were not customized enough to fit Japanese tastes.

In Japan, buying small quantities of fresh food more often is preferred to the western big-volume weekend shopping. Some mislabeling mistakes and difficulties in finding appropriate locations contributed to the rapid failure of Carrefour in Japan. Another problem faced by Carrefour might also have been linked to the traditional perception by Japanese of what a French brand is. In Japan, French products are mainly associated with high-end goods. Carrefour’s strategy of selling low priced products was counter-intuitive. It did not align with market expectations.

Changing the consumer’s habits and viewpoints is a long process. In Japan, Products and services are very tailored. Analyzing the market, consumption habits thoroughly, and adapting to the consumers is critical.

Choose the right time

eBay failure in Japan is also a perfect case study of the importance of timing when entering Japan. Yahoo! Auction launched an online auction website before eBay. They initially offered their services for free to grow their customer base quickly. eBay got into the Japanese market without localizing their services enough. They used the same business model as in the USA: payment with a card and charge of a fee for selling the items. Yahoo! Auction offered the same service for free. The consequences were brutal. eBay did not reach traction. They also hired a CEO with a poor understanding of the Japanese internet. They did not market their product enough while relying heavily on word of mouth. All of these factors contributed to the failure of eBay.

Japanese customers are loyal and research heavily before purchasing an item. Once a dominant position is established, it needs a technological or service breakthrough to rock the boat. Mercari launched its peer-to-peer sale services in 2013, long after Yahoo! Auctions, but they disrupted the model to align it with their target users. They focused on offering an experience using a smartphone instead of a computer. In a country where smartphones are more and more replacing computers, especially with teenagers and young adults, this was a smart move. Mercari’s disruptive business model was such a success that the company became the first Japanese technology Unicorn.

Be patient!

It is not easy to do business in Japan. It takes time to conclude a deal. The decision process in Japanese corporations is often a collective one. Each department will have to agree to proceed with the next step. Even more complicated for the westerners is the unwillingness for the Japanese not to deceive their counterparts and not to give a definite Yes or No answer. More than a business deal per se, it is often the character and reliability of the business partner that matters during the initial business meetings. The ultimate goal is to build a long term business relationship relying heavily on mutual trust.

With the right partners, the necessary amount of time, investment, and research failing to enter the highly profitable Japan is inevitable. IKEA did not succeed immediately in Japan. Their first attempt was a failure. They studied more, adapted their offer, and came back successfully a few years later.

Expert pieces of advice are needed to enter the Japanese market. Hashi Consulting services help foreign companies define the best Japan market entry strategies and successfully reach Japanese people. Read our articles on “Market Entry Strategy 101” and “How to negotiate with Japanese” to know more.