by JapanBuzz. Helping brands expand to Japan
According to recent estimates the number of Amazon Japan users has exceeded 50 million, Rakuten has 48.4 million users and Mercari has 22 million (a popular marketplace among Japanese female users). Due to it’s ease of use and ability to sell in large quantities, the number of people selling on Amazon Japan has greatly increased, with some of them making good profit. In this article we will talk about 5 tips to sell products on Amazon Japan.
1. Getting to the top of search results
The number of products handled by Amazon Japan is huge, so I pays to stand out. 70% of people who search on Amazon say that they don’t look at the second page and beyond. No matter how good the product is, it cannot be sold unless it’s noticed by buyers. It’s important that products are listed higher in the search results. The following points are key in order have a chance at being to be listed near the top.
Japanese language
Make sure the Japanese used to describe the product makes sense and showcases your product as best it can. Many non-Japanese brands have poor Japanese descriptions that don’t reflect well.
Increase latest sales quantity
This number shows the number of purchases in the last 7 to 14 days. For new sellers, it’s important to set the price a little cheaper first and then increase when the number of sales and the frequency of sales improves. Japanese people are often tempted to try lower price items.
Increase Unit session percentage rate (conversion rate)
This data shows the percentage of the users who reach purchase after accessing the product page. You can find this number in the business report in Amazon’s Seller Central. If the unit session rate is low, you need to reconsider whether there’s a problem with the product page, if there’s a problem with the product itself, or what part of the product should be improved.
Improve the relation between search keyword and product page content
Japanese search keywords that users might use should be naturally included in product titles and product introduction pages. To anticipate that, it’s necessary for sellers to think from users’ perspective about what keywords users will enter when they look for products. We recommend working with a Japanese expert to accomplish this.
Get more quality reviews
The Number of reviews and how many 4-star and 5-star ratings will also be a factor to be listed on top. Products with a high number of ratings and a high average score are more visited, and the conversion rate after that is also high.
2. Use eye-catching images that resonate with Japanese users
Product images are very important for online shopping. Amazon Japan allows you to set one main image and eight sub images, a total of nine. There are other rules besides the ones below:
・The background of the main image needs to be white
・The product photo needs to occupy 85% of the entire images
・Other products, characters or logos other than those printed on the product should not be displayed
・Always use product photos, instead of illustrations.
Sub-images do not have the rules unlike the main image. It is good to add an image that shows the side and details that are not shown in the main image. It will lead more customers purchasing if there are images with text in it or with Japanese models wearing / using the product. Furthermore it’s recommended to have 1280 pixels or more so you can use the zoom function.
3. Getting a good seller rating
In addition to the price of the product, Japanese users emphasise the seller’s evaluation as well. Trust matters because buying and selling on Amazon is a transaction that is not face-to-face. The reality is that not many users buy from brands they’ve never heard of or new sellers without a seller’s rating. In the case of new sellers, the evaluation starts from zero, so please keep the following points in mind.
Price setting
Try setting the price low to increase the chances of purchasing
Evaluation request email
Some buyers receive an evaluation request email from Amazon, but some users immediately evaluate it when they receive it, some users forget it because the timing is bad, or it may have been opened but not used yet. It’s convenient in this case that there is a method for the seller to send an evaluation request email independently. Evaluation emails can be sent from seller central.
Amazon follow-up email
A follow-up email is also called a thanks email, and it means to thank users who purchased the product and to send a notification when a new product is released. Apart from Amazon’s evaluation request email, it’s also an email that can be used to ask for opinions about the product. It’s a useful email that increases the probability that you will be evaluated.
4. Effectively utilising FBA
FBA stands for Fulfilment by Amazon and can also be operated on Amazon Japan. It’s a system that takes care of services on behalf of sellers, such as stock keeping, ordering, packing, shipping, shipping procedures of products, payment to accounts, free domestic shipping fee service, gift wrapping, and return correspondence. All sellers need to do is select, procure products and deliver to the FBA warehouse. However, this is a service that only pro sellers can receive out of the two types of plan; pro plan (mass sales) with monthly fee of ¥ 4,900 (tax excluded) + selling fee, and basic plan (small sales) with free monthly fee + only selling fee.
When new sellers start selling, one of the difficulties that they face is credibility. Many Japanese buyers wonder whether the seller is credible or not. However, when the product is sold by FBA, it mentions “This product will be sold by….and will be shipped by amazon.co.jp.” So the buyer can purchase with peace of mind.
In addition, for products that are sold by the FBA pro plan, display higher in the search results. The probability that you can get the “basket box”, which is said to have the most influence on sales, goes up dramatically.
5. Getting the ‘add to basket button’ (カートに入れる)
The Basket button is the “add to basket” button seen when purchasing products. Amazon has a rule of 1 page per product, and if multiple people sell the same product, but only one seller is listed at the top of the page. Most of the people buy products from the “add to basket” button on the right side of the page without seeing all sellers. Since sellers who are not entitled to the basket button are listed in an invisible place under the main seller who is entitled to the basket button, getting the add to basket button is an important point to sell products on Amazon Japan. The elements below are conditions you need to meet:
Sellers need to be Pro seller (mass sales)
As mentioned above, there are two types of seller registration, Pro and Basic. In order to be entitled to the basket button, sellers have to be registered with a Pro plan.
Selling at or around the lowest price
From a customer-first principle perspective, Amazon often looks to make products cheap as possible. Amazon has a mechanism that makes it easy for sellers who sell near the lowest price to get the add to basket button.
Evaluation of the sellers
The seller rating is preferably maintained at 80% or more. It will also be evaluated if the order failure rate, cancellation rate and shipping delay rate are not high.
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We have introduced 5 tips to sell products in Japan using Amazon. Selling on Amazon Japan can be easily carried out by any individual or brands. If you register with a Pro plan and sell with FBA, it’s a lot easier with no hastle. Let’s start selling your products on Amazon Japan.
