freshtrax

While most of the world relies on Facebook’s Messenger and WhatsApp as their messaging app, WeChat, LINE, and KakaoTalk have been battling one another for popularity and services in Asia. This article will explore the popularity and features of each of the three most popular apps in Asia.    WeChat: Quickly approaching 1 billion monthly active users, Tencent’s WeChat is the most used messaging app in Asia. Almost 800 million WeChat users come from China alone, making it the most popular app in China. Image | Downloading WeChat application WeChat’s dominance in China comes from the fact that international social networking apps such as Facebook, Google, Twitter, Snapchat, Line, KaKaoTalk, and many more, have been banned, leaving […]

In 2015, btrax released a blog about the top 10 largest Japanese companies in the world. In comparison with the previous blog, this article updates the rankings of the top Japanese companies based on Forbes Global 2000 list. The updated lists showcases the ongoing trends and changes that have occurred to globally influential Japanese companies over the past couple of years. Chart | Forbes Global 2000 ranks these global titans using four metrics – sales, profits, assets and market value. According to the updated list in 2017, the two largest companies, Toyota and Mitsubishi UF Financial, have kept their places while electronics company, Hitachi, fell out of the top ten. The […]

Growing Japanese e-commerce market Back in 2014, freshtrax released an article about the e-commerce market in Japan. Since then it has changed drastically and so we felt it’s time for an update. Here is the latest information about what platforms and marketplaces are thriving in Japan. According to research by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (shown in the graph below), in 2016 Japanese e-commerce (B-to-C) market totaled $137.6 billion ($1=¥110). As you can see, it has been growing steadily at 11.8% annually on average. Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry Data| Japanese e-commerce market growth The Japanese e-commerce market has changed a lot over the last few years. In […]

Doing business in China is not for the faint of heart. Trade protections, piracy, and cultural peccadilloes all work against making an honest Yuan for foreign companies—even hugely profitable global firms like Google, Facebook, and Amazon have had limited success in China. Yet, the potential is great: a rising middle class will spend increasingly on goods and services they perceive as best in class. And several companies have taken advantage, flourishing in the world’s second largest economy despite obstacles and a recent economic downturn there. Here are 6 businesses with success in China, and how they did it. Image | Rising population of Chinese middle class Apple China accounts for a significant percentage of Apple’s […]

When you think of great marketing campaigns you probably think of U.S. companies like Old Spice, Dollar Shave Club, or potentially one of the companies that advertises during large sporting events like the Superbowl. Let’s dive into what makes for great Marketing content with a focus on how some Japanese companies are doing it right. Marketing is a type of brand ownership. A basic understanding of marketing is using various methods of communication and content to connect with the consumer and get them buying your product or service. Below are three ways marketers strengthen their brand and while we know them as common marketing practices, in Japan there is the […]

Last year, Japan experienced a record number of foreign guests and tourist spending and that number is expected to continue to grow with both the 2019 Rugby World Cup and 2020 Olympics right around the corner. Hotels are expected to add over 60,000 rooms leading up to the 2020 Olympics, yet the Mizuho Research Institutes forecasts a shortage of 10,000 hotel rooms during the Olympics. With the decrease in hotel rooms available and recent legalization of sharing economy rentals in Japan, Airbnb is expected to become one of the largest accommodation options in Japan. The Airbnb community in Japan has seen over 200 percent growth year-over-year and are expected to […]

In Japanese society, there are more opportunities to receive a credit card than most other societies. If you live in Japan, you will be surprised by how often you are recommended to create a new credit card when making purchases at stores. They will offer you benefits such as getting extra discounts; earning points like miles, and receiving special services with the requirement of making a new card. Some thrift shoppers use several credit cards at different stores and occasions. Getting approval for a credit card in Japan is not very difficult. Many students apply for credit cards and are quickly approved. As long as they are over 18 years […]

When Twitter launched in Brazil, users were excited about the ‘follow button’ and social interactions grew from there, while in Japan the majority of users saw Twitter as a messaging tool. Why did the same product with the exact same functions serve these two groups in completely different ways? Localization is the short answer. But what is it exactly? Why does it matter when going global? How do you carry out localization? At the end of July, D.Haus held a Localization Panel Event to educate attendees about best practices when expanding into new markets. The panel was made up by localization experts: Ms. Wakana Omija and Mr. Thomas Arend. btrax’s […]

I recently googled “Japanese young adults” in English and the results shocked me. Most of the the content was negative, displaying many articles talking about how Japanese young adults were depressed, vulnerable, and sex-deprived. As a young Japanese adult, I’m here to let you know that Japanese young adults are trendsetters and it is quite important to gain their attention in order to succeed in the Japanese market. Here are 3 examples of brands who understand the importance of gaining traction with Japanese young adults and how they are going about doing so. Some common themes among the 3 case studies are the brands commitment to quality products, offering experiences […]

Although Japan’s marketing industry has experienced rapid growth and a shift towards digital media, television is still considered the dominant force in advertising. According to Dentsu’s 2016 advertising expenditure report, the production costs for TV commercials alone account for 31.3% of Japan’s total advertising expenditure and has seen a 2% increase this last year. http://www.dentsu.com/knowledgeanddata/ad_expenditures/ Companies maintain multi-million yen budgets on TV advertising because it is key for growing and establishing a prominent brand. Not only is there a strong correlation between the increase in TV advertising spending and sales, but TV advertising is the most effective advertising medium in increasing market share. To most foreigners, Japanese TV advertisements are […]