Strategy for success

Marketing in Japan

Marketing to Seniors in Japan: a Golden Opportunity

Japan is experiencing a super-aging society, in every area. In 2017, 35.2 million inhabitants were 65 or older. In 2020, it is supposed to grow to 36.2 million (according to Statista). It represents a huge opportunity for marketers, should they find the right way to reach out to the elderly. Nowadays, advertising campaigns which target seniors are quite offensive and aim at solving problems related to age only, like safer bathtubs or adult diapers. But people don’t stop living and having fun after 60 years old, they do more than just staying at home and playing go. Situation in Japan Japan has a huge amount of data concerning the elderly,…

Marketing in Japan

The Best Japanese Website Design

The characteristics of a good website design are not the same depending on countries. Making the right decisions will increase traffic and improve your company’s image. A great website in Europe will be seen as sad in Japan, colors don’t have the same meaning, numbers neither… If users are familiar with your design, they will trust the brand better and stay longer. So let’s see what the best websites look like in Japan and how to improve yours. Case Study: Starbucks English version As we can see, the style is more refined, whitespace filled. There is less text, almost none. A big font size is used for the main information…

Strategies for successful marketing

SEO in Japan: Boost Traffic to Your Website

SEO, which stands for Search Engine Optimization, is extremely valuable for your brand. If you have a website, you should always check that users find it easily and how they can find it. You will see benefits both on the short and long term and increase online traffic.  Why Is SEO Important in Japan To earn customer trust, the first step is to get positive reviews and be well ranked on the main search engines. According to the 2019 Edelman Trust Barometer, they are the most trusted source of information in Japan. Japanese Internet users want to know what others think about your company and if you are reliable. They…

Strategy for success

Decoding of the Japanese Business Negotiations

International trade has now become unavoidable, but even though business negotiations are happening every day, all businessmen do not know the right way to negotiate with some nations – especially with Japan. Its culture differs widely from Western countries’, particularly when we know that indirect communication is favored by Japanese. When we don’t understand how the system works, meetings and negotiations seem strange, even illogical. So let’s give a look at why businessmen act as they do to better react.   Feelings & Emotions Yes, when you negotiate, you are in a professional setting – but Japanese people will avoid doing business with you if they think you are disrespectful,…

Set up a Company in Japan

How to Build Your Network in Japan

Whether you want to do business in Japan or already work there, networking is essential to achieve success. But how to build and feed your network in Japan? Places First, even though social media is essential, it is not easy to expand your network well without actually meeting people. Not only in Japan, but everywhere else: if you overlook the importance of physical contact, your number of connections will not increase very fast, or not increase at all. But Japan has some specificities concerning the places you should go to meet professionals. Nomikai The word nomikai means ‘gathering to drink’ and it is a big part of the Japanese (business)…

Strategy for success

What Business Loyalty Means in Japan

When we think about Japanese workers, we imagine someone working hard, all day long and who never misses work. It is called being loyal to one’s company, and it is a core value in Japan. But it does not apply only to companies, but also to suppliers or customers. Therefore, if you want to enter the Japanese market or work in Japan, you will have to understand what loyalty means and how people display it.  Seller – Buyer It is fundamental for Japanese salespeople to build a strong relationship with buyers – and it is part of their jobs. As a consequence, many buyers have only one supplier for specific…

Marketing in Japan

How to Build Customer Trust in Japan

The Japanese market is the third largest in the world, so the competition is stiff. If you want to find your place in the sun when doing business in Japan, building and maintaining trust is essential. People are looking for reliable companies and entrepreneurs, their behavior will change depending on whether they trust a brand or not. Note that you can start building trust before you set a branch in Japan (thanks to your network, for example). Why Trust Matters in Japan The Edelman Trust Barometer is a useful source of information for companies. It analyzes markets and usually compares it with other countries, and it pointed out that yes,…

Marketing in Japan

How to Have Your Business Succeed in Japan

Japan is the third largest world economy, behind the United States and China. It has a sizeable population and a ready market, as well as other factors ready and available to help a business grow. However, Japan has been classified as one of the most difficult places to establish a business and succeed, when compared to other industrialized nations. Despite this, many companies have seen huge successes in the Japanese market. The truth of the matter is that setting up a business in Japan, as with most countries, requires significant up-front work. Starting a business in Japan isn’t difficult and does not require huge startup costs. If you have a…

Marketing in Japan

Make A Big Splash In The Japanese Market With A Press Conference

Why Are Press Conferences Important? A press conference allows an organization to make large, or important announcements directly to any journalists in attendance. Journalists also have the chance to interact with executives from the organization directly and get an immediate answer to their questions (if they get the chance to ask). Since the only other option for these journalists is to set up an appointment to get an interview individually, a press conference is beneficial for both parties. The timing of your press conference is important. Is there any other press conferences being done around the time of yours? If there is, even if this press conference is for an…