Marketing Automation in Japan — An Industry Overview

Marketer using marketing automation in Japan

Japan’s marketing automation landscape is still being shaped by advancements in technology and changing consumer behaviors.

At its core, it offers businesses and the marketers that serve them the opportunity to automate repetitive or formulaic marketing tasks, allowing them to make improvements to their processes, such as increased productivity, personalization and audience targeting accuracy.

Operating across various channels, from emails to social media and beyond, we outline the major providers of marketing automation tools in Japan and how companies are leveraging their services.

Marketing Automation Usage in Japan (In Billion JPY)

As it is in other nations, Japan’s marketing automation sector is highly competitive with a few international players leading the pack. This includes the popular Pardot Salesforce, with a detected usage on over 14% of Japanese websites, followed closely by Hubspot.

However, although increasing rapidly, adoption has not always been widespread as in some Western markets. This may partially be due to traditional business practices and communication styles in Japan, which often prioritize personal relationships and face-to-face interactions.

It may also be influenced by a conservative approach to adopt third party technologies (with Japanese businesses often preferring to develop in-house software); privacy and data security concerns (which are extremely high compared to many nations); the complexity of Japanese as a language; and a shortage of professionals with the necessary skills to implement and manage these tools.

Yet, the market is expected to grow steadily with many businesses recognizing the potential benefits of marketing automation tools.

Top 10 Marketing Automation Services in Japan (2023)

TechnologyWebsites (%)
Pardot Salesforce14.34
Hubspot13.92
BowNow10.01
Omniture SiteCatalyst8.96
Adobe Marketing Cloud5.8
AD EBis5.33
Adobe Analytics4.23
Klaviyo3.87
Karte3.45
Marketo3.23
KASIKA3.04

Source: BuiltWith

Adoption of marketing automation services in Japan has not always been widespread—partially due to traditional business practices and communication styles that often prioritize personal relationships and face-to-face interactions.

Forecasted Market Growth (2019-2025)

201940.2
202044.74
202151.1
202258.3
202363.55
202468.9
202573.7

Source: Statista

Marketing Automation vs CRM Software

Marketing team using marketing automation in Japan

Many businesses often confuse CRM and marketing automation solutions because both let you reach out to customers and cultivate connections with them.

Put simply, a CRM is primarily sales-focused, and marketing automation software is typically marketing-focused.

The distinction is in how each tool assists you in meeting specific client demands and building relationships with customers at various phases of the buying journey.

Marketing Automation — Focuses on automating and optimizing marketing processes, delivering personalized content, nurturing leads, and coordinating multi-channel campaigns.

CRM (Customer Relationship Management) — Centers on managing customer interactions, storing customer data, tracking sales opportunities, and providing insights to enhance customer relationships and sales management.

Automated Social Media Management in Japan

Marketer preparing strategy for marketing automation in Japan

Marketing automation tools can schedule and publish social media posts across platforms. Automated posting ensures consistent online presence and engagement with the audience.

Marketers relying on marketing automation in Japan for social media must carefully consider content relevance and engagement.

Tailor automated posts to each platform’s format and audience expectations. Maintain authenticity by adding a human touch to interactions and responses.

Regularly review and adjust automated content to align with real-time trends and news. Monitor analytics to measure engagement, reach, and conversion rates, adapting strategies based on performance data.
Balance automation with genuine engagement to ensure a consistent, effective social media presence that resonates with the target audience.

Marketers relying on marketing automation in Japan for social media must carefully consider content relevance and engagement.

Read Our Annual Review of Japan’s Social Media Landscape!

What to Consider when Using Marketing Automation in Japan

While marketing automation offers numerous benefits, it’s essential to acknowledge potential risks when relying on them in a market as unique and complex as Japan.

  • Cultural Nuances — Japanese consumer preferences and cultural norms often required tailored messaging and approaches. Localizing content and understanding cultural nuances was essential for successful marketing automation campaigns.
  • Data Privacy — Data privacy regulations, such as Japan’s Act on the Protection of Personal Information (APPI), required businesses to be cautious about collecting, storing, and using customer data for marketing purposes.
  • Loss of Personal Touch — Over-automation can lead to impersonal interactions, affecting customer relationships.
  • Initial Complexity — Implementing automation requires time and effort for setup and integration.
  • Technology Dependency — System malfunctions or downtime can disrupt communication and campaigns.
  • Content Quality — Automation requires well-crafted and localized content to maintain engagement.
  • Integration Complexity — Integrating marketing automation platforms with existing systems and data sources could be complex and time-consuming. This challenge was particularly relevant for businesses with legacy systems.
  • Skills Gap — As with many emerging technologies, there was a shortage of professionals with expertise in marketing automation. Companies had to invest in training or seek external assistance to maximize the benefits of these tools.

What’s Next for Marketing Automation in Japan?

japanese-marketers-marketing-automation-in-japan

Despite several reasons contributing to a slower adoption of marketing automation in Japan compared to other nations, many businesses recognize the benefits it offers.

Efficiency, data-driven decision-making, and personalized customer experiences are all a major pull towards the use of marketing automation and AI in marketing and advertising today.

However, successful implementation requires a strategic approach, an understanding of local customer needs, regular optimisation based on data-driven insights, and the skills to use these tools in the right way.