Client

Cross-border e-commerce through crowdfunding

——Please tell us about your company profile.

I started my own business as a shoe manufacturer in 2015, wholesaling products made in factories in China to apparel companies and shoe stores in Japan. While running this business, I began to feel the negative impact that mass production and mass consumption has on the domestic market and manufacturing industry. So I started a business selling products made in Japan both domestically and overseas.

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

Currently, we are selling products using crowdfunding as an entry point.

The reason I chose crowdfunding is that when you put something on the general market, its value tends to be measured by its price, but with crowdfunding, I felt there would be many consumers who would judge its value based on the product itself.

We believe that the compatibility between the product and the sales floor is extremely important.

At first, we sold shoes through crowdfunding, but then other producers started reaching out to us, and most recently we started selling Senshu towels, a specialty of Izumisano City, Osaka Prefecture.Our company comes up with plans for artisans who have the skills to create value-added products, and then we develop the products that they create.

We sometimes connect with craftsmen and producers at exhibitions and other events. We are currently developing products with a tatami maker in Nagasaki Prefecture. I believe there are many craftsmen across the country who can make tatami mats, but we would like to create new things with people who are willing to try new things.

--Please tell us how long you have been using the logistics services you are currently using, the scale of your services, and your main destinations.

I have been using international courier services since last year. An advertising agency introduced me to several logistics companies for overseas shipments, one of which was ECMS Japan (hereafter referred to as ECMS).

Crowdfunding sales are similar to pre-orders, so shipments are not made every day. Last time, I used ECMS to ship Senshu towels that were sold on Kickstarter in the US and zeczec, a Taiwanese crowdfunding site, to the US and Taiwan, respectively. I think I ordered around 400 packages in total on both occasions.

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

Until now, our main business has been domestic wholesale, so we've only just started selling to B2C customers and delivering individual items. This is a baby. Unlike importing large quantities of products in a single container, individual deliveries require a lot of work, as you have to pack each item individually and create package data, no matter which logistics company you use.

Since I've only just started selling through crowdfunding, I thought I'd give it a try myself, and I tried packaging all of the Senshu towels myself. Next time, I'll ask a warehouse to do the packaging for me. I don't want to do that anymore (lol).

Cheaper and less hassle than other logistics companies

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

Before using ECMS, I had sent small individual parcels overseas, but I decided not to continue using it and instead switched to ECMS simply because of the price. Comparing prices, it was cheaper to use ECMS.

Also, although I said that individual deliveries are time-consuming, I feel that ECMS is simpler than other companies. Not only was the shipping process a breeze, but everything else, including the contract and account opening before using the delivery service, communication with sales representatives, customer support follow-up, whether there were any delivery issues after shipping, and exchanging invoices, was also easy.

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

I hope to see an expansion of the delivery area and a reduction in the hassle of shipping. We currently use a different logistics company for deliveries to countries and regions that ECMS cannot deliver to, but I would like to be able to request all of that in one go through ECMS.

Also, this might be a request specific to me, but... the order data downloaded from the crowdfunding site and the ECMS shipping format have different item names and order, so the data needs to be rearranged and processed. This is another aspect that makes individual deliveries difficult.

If these two expectations can be met, I think we can have everything done with ECMS. I would like to have all of my delivery operations done by one company.

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

I would like to be able to make good products that utilize Japanese technology and deliver them to people both in Japan and overseas who appreciate their value. I think we are able to "make things" by adding our own flavor to products that producers have and releasing them to the world.

However, because we have been in the wholesale business for a long time, we are lacking in branding and marketing. Our challenge is to strengthen these areas and boost the business as a whole. I think we need to become more efficient at selling our products.

We are no longer in an era where anything will sell if you just make a good product, and we must incorporate into our products the path to deliver it to consumers who understand its value. Otherwise, it will be lost in the cold. We create unique products together with carving knife craftsmen, fabric stores, and hardware stores, and by partnering with our company and these craftsmen, we hope to accumulate discoveries that will lead to the creation of products that sell.