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Home  >   Blogs  >  Exploring new markets

Selling on marketplaces in Japan: the time is now

Japan is one of the biggest e-commerce markets in the world, and business-to-consumer sales are growing fast. 

When it comes to global e-commerce markets, Japan is only behind China, the US and the UK for total sales value. Annual business-to-consumer online sales in the country are around $150 billion and, what’s more, it’s a market that is growing fast.

The leading marketplace platform in Japan is Amazon, with Rakuten also having a significant presence. Together, Amazon and Rakuten offer potential sellers unrivalled access to a huge online audience of buyers in Japan and, naturally, this can be a big draw for many sellers in the west.

How WorldFirst helps sellers using marketplaces in Japan

We’ve made it easy for online sellers who take the plunge and add Japan to their list of overseas territories to bring home sales revenues earned in the east.

Local currency accounts with great rates

We’ll set up a local receiving account in JPY quickly and for free. You can then use your local account to collect sales from marketplaces (like Amazon) and move funds back to your home account at great rates when you’re ready.

Outstanding customer service

Not only does WorldFirst make it easy to open local JPY accounts and integrate them with your marketplace account, you’ll also benefit from the support of our relationship managers who will be with you every step of the way.

Why sell on marketplaces in Japan?

Japan is the fourth-largest and one of the fastest growing e-commerce markets in the world – with a forecast predicting it could be worth as much as USD$113 billion by the end of 2022.

There are a number of other factors that make it an ideal destination for the ambitious marketplace seller looking to establish a new market in Asia.

Japanese consumers are amongst the wealthiest and most-connected in the world. The International Monetary Fund puts Japan level with the UK in terms of GDP per capita, with 94.5% of the population having internet access.

Marketplaces are established and popular in Japan and the biggest platforms are Amazon, Rakuten and Yahoo.

Western brands and products are popular with Japanese consumers and “clothing and accessories” and “cosmetics” are two of the most popular product categories.


For more information about selling on marketplaces in Japan, visit Exporting Is Great and Export to Japan. And why not brush up on Japan’s business trends and etiquette, too.

WorldFirst
Open a World Account for free
  • Open up to 20 local currency accounts, with local sort codes, account numbers and IBANs
  • Collect secure payments from 130+ marketplaces, overseas buyers and payment processing gateways
  • Pay suppliers, partners and staff in 40 currencies without hidden fees
  • Pay and get paid easily with local bank details on your invoices
  • Lock in conversion rates to manage your currency risk
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