- In order to enter the Japanese market, production must be done at one's company and it is necessary to be ready to export following the partners plan and directions while including brand name products. This corresponds with OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturing). Not that a product is to be sold as is from one's company (not product out), but it is necessary to meet the partners' specifications while meeting the needs of the Japanese market (market in). It will be effective that members from the same industries gather to join the OEM mission and come to Japan and hold business talks with Japanese companies based on the OEM. When an Asian business wanted to export to Japan a glued rawhide that was fed to dogs to strengthen their teeth called" Rawhide Dog Chew," investigation took place. This Dog Chew was sold until a few years ago, but since dogs are now fed more luxurious food, Dog Chew has become less of an item and Japanese tradesman who handled the product has stopped handling it. It had already become an item that does not meet market needs.
- Consumer needs have changed from more than buying quantity to buying goods that meet individual likes. The situation has changed from quantity to quality. Furthermore, people do not desire things that are too high priced. Japan is no exception. It has spread like this around the world and in order to win the international competition, every point in efficiency and productivity must be raised, and it is necessary to make low cost production systems. Moreover, you cannot enter the Japanese market if you do not make something with originality.
- In order to enter this new market called Japan, effective and efficient presentation of the product holds the key to success. Needless to say that the actual product itself has appeal, and since catalogs are also known as" silent salesmen," products must be precise and concisely easy to read. More than English, Japanese catalogs are desirable. It is also favorable to attach a Japanese description print out to the English catalog.
- In order to sell in Japan, the finish and packaging are important. In Europe and America, it is thought that if it is a good product, no one cares about the finish and packaging, but that does not apply in Japan. For example, one is apt to think that since you cannot see the back of a metallic ornament it does not need to be polished, but in Japan, if the back also is not polished, it will not be sold. It is no good if the printing on a box is not beautiful and putting things in a plain color box is out of the question. The finish and packaging is so-called make-up. In Japan, because things are often used as gifts, things that have no make-up do not sell and it is very important to pay attention to package design on containers and labels. There are many cases where good or bad packaging controls sales.
- In Japan, even in business, the human relationship is highly regarded. There are many stories about businesses that might have done well, but when the person in charge changed, the business did not go well. Even a long-last business might be called off when a person in charge is forced to change the plan by a superior. In order to prevent this, you should see the next person in charge or new superior, fully explain the business details, history, and special characteristics of product, and propose the negotiations and business continuation. It is important not to leave business as it is and to keep up positive sales and discussion.
- In the case of asking for new desirable business by circular, fax, or e-mail, it is important to contact the precise department. Not just writing the company name and address, but even if the department in charge is not known, something like" Attention/Product Import Manager" should be written. Without that, there are many cases where the mail is thrown in the garbage without being read. That tendency is especially strong in the case of major companies.
- It is not good to be greedy and try to sell many products at the same time. It is desirable to have the resolution to steadily bear fruit by individually offering the selected target products. Recently, the wide range of the" anything goes store" is not dealt with in Japan. Specialized sales of products are desired.
- When we were contacted by a company which wanted to export construction hardware to Japan, we replied that we would like to know what kind of goods were to be sold to Japan by selecting target products to make them clear since there are many kinds of construction hardware. However, no matter how much time passed, there was no response to the question. We became doubtful that the company had serious will to sell. Perhaps, the company may have just given up that (it was too bothersome to contact us about those kind of details). In making contact with an improper mood it was troublesome for both and a loss of time.
- A Company asked us," We want to export rattan made furniture to Japan, so please introduce us to import tradesmen." We introduced five companies doing direct import, and there was a phone call from a Japanese company in Tokyo and they explained," We have received the list of companies that you introduced to A Company. Our company is the sole agent for A Company here in Japan." So, we replied" In case your company is the sole distributor and A Company's rattan furniture can only be bought through your company, all of the companies introduced are not appropriate. Because all five companies do direct import." A Company hid the fact that they had a sole agent in Tokyo. Since the agent company in Tokyo did not buy many goods, in order to sell more furniture in Japan, they wanted to be introduced to more imports. In this kind of case, A Company should have honestly said that they had a sole agent in Tokyo. In doing that, it is possible to be introduced to Japanese companies that cannot make purchases directly, but want to buy from a Japanese importer (in this case, A Company's Tokyo exclusive agent).
- " The Japanese market is a closed market. There have been many barriers aside from duties (regulations, etc.), and it is hard to get in," it is often said. However, in comparing Japan to Europe and America, import duties are much cheaper than the average and there are many lists of items free from being taxed. There are fewer lists of items with import restrictions. It can be said that the Japanese market is plenty open. There are still some points with strict regulations, but gradually restrictions are being eased. The Japanese market is already widely opened.
In Japan, the printing industry comprises 10,000 member companies, with outsiders numbering 2-3 times this amount. Many small enterprises are active in this industry, which appears to be a firm factor in this field.
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