Client

It's hard to find other companies that offer this speed at this price.

-What kind of products do you sell and on what platform?

Mr. Bando: The products we sell overseas are mainly food products such as sweets and coffee, as well as cosmetics. Most of them are sold through a platform called Shopee.

Seki: Our company has two objectives for engaging in cross-border e-commerce. One is as our own retail business, and the other is to respond to the growing need for cross-border e-commerce as an e-commerce support company. Now that we have become independent as our own retail business, we plan to expand our accumulated know-how and support our customers.

--Please tell us about the logistics services you currently use, the length of time you have used them, the scale of your operations, and your main destinations.

Seki: We use ECMS for two services: international delivery and inventory storage. We started using them in January 2020, so we've been using them for about a year and a half. Currently, ECMS handles 90% of our overseas shipments, with destinations being four countries: Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Thailand.

Mr. Bando: With the international delivery service, they come to our company to pick up the items every time, which helps us reduce delivery costs. With the inventory storage service, we send all the packages together to ECMS' warehouse in Inzai City, where they sort and pack the items by order and then handle the shipping for us.

——What logistical challenges did you face before using ECMS?

Seki: When I first started using Shopee, my only two logistics options were Japan Post and ECMS. That's when Shopee Japan introduced me to ECMS. It's not like I switched from another company to solve a specific problem, but now that the number of logistics companies available on Shopee has increased, I plan to continue using ECMS.

Mr. Bando: Many of the products we handle have low unit prices, so the truth is that we cannot increase the shipping fee ratio as long as we handle these products. Although the number of logistics companies we can use has increased on the platform, when we get competitive quotes, no one can compete with ECMS. We also need to make a profit, so we want to prioritize costs.

Bando: Before using the service, ECMS told us that it would take about 10 to 14 days for delivery to be completed. Furthermore, the estimated delivery time displayed to customers on Shopee has a certain buffer, so it appears longer than the actual delivery time. When we first started our cross-border e-commerce business, we often received inquiries from overseas customers considering purchasing products asking, "Does it really take that long?"

However, when I actually used ECMS's services, I was very satisfied with the delivery speed, with the product arriving in the hands of a customer living overseas just five days after purchase. I don't think it would be possible for other logistics companies to offer this speed at this price.

I'm grateful that they respond honestly whenever I call.

——What are the benefits of using ECMS and what effects has it had?

Seki: For our company, it's very helpful in terms of the response of sales representatives and customer support, and for customers who purchase our products, it's very helpful in terms of delivery speed and cost. Recently, fewer companies are accepting phone calls, and in the case of foreign companies, communication can be difficult as most communication is in English. In that respect, ECMS responds in Japanese, so if anything happens, I call them right away. I'm most grateful that they respond honestly whenever I call.

Mr. Bando: The speed at which products arrive in about a week has also led to positive reviews for our e-commerce store. Many customers order after reading reviews that say, "It arrived quickly!" I believe that one of the reasons our cross-border e-commerce business is growing is the delivery speed of ECMS.

When it comes to collection, we are helped by their flexibility and cost-effectiveness compared to other logistics companies. They respond to our detailed needs, which ultimately allows us to provide a high level of service to our customers.

By starting to use the inventory storage service, we were able to sell food products to Taiwan and Thailand. Food products could only be sent to these countries via Japan Post, so we were originally only able to sell cosmetics and daily necessities. ECMS' partnership with this company enabled us to ship these products, which allowed us to expand our product lineup.

——What are your expectations for ECMS in the future?

Seki: There are three things I expect from ECMS. The first is to link the system we use to centrally manage our domestic product inventory with the ECMS logistics system. I think this is an issue that all logistics companies face, but because there is no integration between the systems, we have to manually convert the order data downloaded from the e-commerce platform and manually upload it to the logistics company's system, which is time-consuming and inefficient.

The second is the expansion of destinations. We hope to see an increase in destinations in Europe, the US, and Asia.

The third is the expansion of ancillary tasks for inventory storage services. Controlling the ratio of shipping costs is particularly important in cross-border e-commerce, so when packing in-house, we try to cut off any excess corners of the cardboard boxes to minimize volume weight and cut costs. While this goes against the trend in an era where automation is increasing, we hope to add ancillary tasks to our menu of services so that we can deliver products to customers at affordable prices.

--Please tell us about your company's future prospects.

Bando: Going forward, we would like to expand our cross-border e-commerce business and "deliver Japanese products to people in various countries." We are planning to enter the Philippines soon, and then expand to Europe and the United States. Up until now, we have provided support for the construction, operation, and logistics of domestic e-commerce sites, but in the same way, we would like to use our experience and know-how from working on our own cross-border e-commerce business to provide support to customers who are considering starting a cross-border e-commerce business.

Seki: As the number of companies we support in cross-border e-commerce increases and our business grows, our shipping volume will naturally increase. Even at that time, we would like ECMS to continue to provide us with strong support in warehouse management and shipping.