Articles
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Aug 10 2016
Localization and Sales on E-Commerce Websites in Japan
Japan is the world’s 4th largest e-commerce market, and it’s projected to continue growing steadily in the coming years. However, successfully selling here requires a strong understanding of local buying behaviors first and foremost. Reason being, localization is key for both online and offline businesses in Japan. This article will help you gain a better understanding of Japan’s e-commerce market, and how to be successful here. E-commerce in Japan: Where Are We Now? Japan's B2C e-commerce market is worth over 10 trillion yen, nearly 90 billion US dollars, and is already well established. With over 76 million online shoppers, spending money online is commonplace. This spending is expected to continue increasing as e-commerce grows and takes a larger bite of sales from traditional retailers. Knowing that Japan has a highly active e-commerce market with healthy growth ahead of it, it seems like a no-brainer then to dive right in. But before you put on your bathing suit
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Mar 24 2016
6 Social Media Tips to Market on SNS in Japan
With 45% of Japan’s population active on social media, and tons of companies flocking to social media for their marketing needs, how do you get (or stay) ahead and make your voice heard? Below we have compiled a list of tips for using social media effectively in Japan. These tips are related specifically to Japanese users and networks. Strategically applying these tips can help your brand or product be seen, and allow you to gain real results via social media. Tip #1 – Find Your Target’s Favorite Networks Proper targeting is obviously a must for digital marketers on all platforms. For social media, identifying the social network that attracts the most of your target users in one place is a great way to make your promotions more effective. For example, if you want to reach young women in Japan, Instagram would be a great network to use. Targeting teenagers? Twitter is generally where they hang out, while Facebook is more popular with 20 somethings and young professiona
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Jan 07 2016
Japan's Top Social Media Networks for 2016
Here’s an incredible fact for you: as of 2015, over 90% of Japan’s entire population is online in one form or another. Here’s another important number: over 50% of those individuals are regularly active on social networking services. The keyword there is “active”. Other sources may show higher numbers representing the number of online users who simply own a social account, but we’re focusing here on a truly, accessible audience as it applies to your business. *Update: Get the latest news about Social Media in Japan in our latest annual report: Japan's Top Social Media Networks for 2018. Internet Penetration by Country *Tap or Hover on the graph below to see details. Source: ITU Does My Company Need Social Media Marketing in Japan? Doing the math based on the above statistics, your company has the potential to reach 45% of all the people of Japan through social media—or to translate that into a tangible number, just over 57 million people (based on the Jap
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Jul 16 2015
How to Use English in Japanese Advertising & Promotion
Have you ever wondered why there is so much English content in Japanese advertisements? Just take a ride on a JR train, or walk through any of the major crossings in Tokyo, and you’ll be exposed to an interesting (and possibly confusing?) blend of English and Japanese ads. Using English when marketing towards a non-English, Japanese-speaking audience is not as poor of a decision as one might presume. However, there are certain differences to consider as they have different functions and applications. By the end of this article, we hope you'll be well equipped and confident in how to utilize it for your marketing and promotions. Citing Notes First off, to give credit where it’s due, we found an amazing thesis written by Douglas Goldstein of Carnegie-Mellon University. Some information from this post was gathered from his work and research on this topic. English as an Attention Grabbing Promotional Tool When professionals from Japanese ad agencies were asked about
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Jun 01 2015
Opportunity in Japan's Travel & Tourism Industry
Japan's tourism and travel related companies are currently in an advantageous position for unprecedented growth and expansion. Un-ignorable regional economic factors; local fiscal policies; and future large-scale, international events (yes, plural) have put Japan's travel and tourism industry (and those companies willing to heed the opportunity) in a pivotal position for success. In a nutshell, it’s really now or never to kickstart, supplement, and optimize your marketing efforts if you're operating any sort of tourism-affected business in Japan: from hotels to airline companies, ryokans to restaurants, OTAs to brick and mortar travel agents. First some background: The Decline of Inbound Tourism in Japan (2008~2012) As is common in many industries, Japan’s tourism industry has truly been at the mercy of world economic and other uncontrollable events. Taking a look at the Japan National Tourism Organization’s (JNTO) statistics, we can see two massive catalysts for
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May 12 2015
LLS Light the Night Walk in Tokyo
Take a quick look at Humble Bunny's about page or our 'No Pressure Sales Promise' and you'll quickly see that helping others is a major cornerstone to what motivates us to do design and marketing here at Humble Bunny. Last weekend, we had a chance to donate to a cause that hits close to home for us. On Saturday, May 9th, 2015, I took a walk as part of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Light the Night Walk event here in Tokyo. Why the LLS? Before I was working full time in the design and marketing business, I got my foot in the door, here in Japan, similar to the way a lot of foreigners do when they're anxious to come over to this country: by getting a position as an English instructor. At a school I used to work at, we had a young and very talented female student. I didn't know her well as she wasn't my immediate student, but as time went on, I began to see her and her family a bit more at neighborhood events, and built up a small relationship with them. As time passed and
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Dec 08 2014
Advertising Your Company at Disneyland Japan!
The Ultimate Advertisement As a company with a product to sell, nothing's better than putting your company name in front of a guaranteed hundreds of thousands of people in one given day. Moreover, if you can make an impression upon those people in an environment designed to bring happiness to its patrons, those positive emotions and experiences will become (at least a little?) synonymous with your company's brand. What better place than Tokyo Disneyland? The following are how some advertisers make their mark by using Tokyo Disney's atmosphere of happiness and enjoyment to show their companies in a positive, fun and energetic way. Brand development and marketing at its best! UCC Coffee UCC Coffee's angle (the header image of this blog) comes in the form of (believe it or not), a coffee shop! Center Street Coffeehouse is actually more of a restaurant, but at least UCC was able to tie it into their key product. What's really interesting is that the coffee shop is designed in a
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Nov 30 2013
Christmas and "Illumination" in Tokyo
Every year, Tokyo and other areas around Japan light up in celebration of Christmas. This season is generally viewed as a time for couples to check out the beautiful light displays in the area. Moreover, it's a time to reserve buckets of chicken from KFC and order Christmas cake to celebrate over; not as romantic as most western countries, but a fun experience nonetheless. Here are some areas around Tokyo that are doing the light up thing right this year: Tokyo Midtown Roppongi Hills Keyakizaka Tokyo Sky Tree Solamachi (Oshiage) For more... If you'd like to see some more photos, here are some more I took a few years back. You can also go to these sites yourself. Some other great places to check out the Christmas lights or "Illumination" as the Japanese call it are: Ebisu Garden Place Shinjuku Southern Terrace Shiodome/Caretta
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Mar 20 2013
Japanese Copyright Law in Practice
On Paper vs. In Reality Copyright is a bit of a tough area for a lot of people. Understanding the scope of copyright, what it's for and how it applies to us as business owners is a whole mess of confusion for those who haven't studied law—and that's in our own countries! This is Japan! Sometimes laws are made, but not withheld in the same manner. This is especially prevalent in the case of something less concrete (to many) like a concept such as copyright. This overview will lay out the terminology and application of copyright here in Japan, based on past cases and how they've been ruled. I wrote an article a few months back which gives a general overview of what copyright really means in the creative world of Japan and how it may apply to your projects and your business. Please take a look at that article as a predecessor to this one. Due Credit Before starting off, credit must be given to those who deserve it. First, to Japan's Ministry of Justice for translating the J
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Nov 19 2012
Japanese Copyright Law in Layman's Terms
What is copyright? “Copyright” is a word that scares a lot of people. It has a tendency to put customers and uneducated designers on the defensive about what’s “theirs” and their rights. It’s the basis for a lot of misunderstandings, most of which, if I may be so bold, are unnecessary. It’s also one of the most difficult points when assembling a contract. By the end of this article, you should have a solid understanding of how Japanese copyright affects you and the artwork you order through HBD or another design studio/professional (based in Japan at least). What does Japanese copyright cover? Japanese copyright covers works that satisfy all of the following: Expresses thought or sentiment... ...in a "creative" way Falls within the literary, artistic, musical or scientific realm Speaking in (overly?) general terms, as long as the work (A:) satisfies the above three points; (B:) is not produced under "employment"; and (C:) is not (according to the e
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