Expert on Japan Retail and Consumer Markets, JapanConsuming

Michael Causton

Expert on Japan Retail and Consumer Markets

Real Insight on Japanese Consumer Markets

JapanConsuming

JapanConsuming is a specialist research firm producing intelligence on Japanese retail and consumer markets. Founded in 2000, JapanConsuming has become the leading provider of insights on Japanese retailers and consumer trends to retailers, brands, government agencies and investors. As well as a highly regarded monthly report on the market, JapanConsuming produces in-depth reports on retail sectors, seminars on key trends and telephone consulting to investors on trends and retailers.

JapanConsuming was founded by Michael Causton and Roy Larke. 

Equity Bottom-Up

<ul>
<li>Onward is proving adept at moving sales online even as its turnover drops dramatically as it restructures and slashes old stores – some 1,700 stores in two years. </li>
<li>It now wants to integrate the remaining stores better with online and targets 50% of sales from e-commerce within three years.</li>
<li>This won't be enough to offset lost sales at department stores but should mean improving returns for long-term investors.</li>
</ul>


Onward is proving adept at moving sales online even as its turnover drops dramatically as it restructures and slashes old stores – some 1,700 stores in two years. 
It now wants to integrate the remaining stores better with online and targets 50% of sales from e-commerce within three years.
This won't be enough to offset lost sales at department stores but should mean improving returns for long-term investors.


Onward: Moving to Showroom Stores and Click & Collect by 2024

Private Capital Markets

<ul>
<li>Baycrews is an unlisted fashion retailer but is proving highly disruptive to both competitors and online malls like <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/zozo-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:18379:1" rel="noopener">ZOZO Inc (3092 JP)</a>.</li>
<li>It is making best use of staff knowledge and experience, an increasingly crucial asset in the competitive online fashion market, to create true omnichannel retailing.</li>
<li>As a result, it garners more than 70% of online sales from its own store, proving that the biggest competitor to Zozo is merchant direct sales, not other platforms.</li>
</ul>


Baycrews is an unlisted fashion retailer but is proving highly disruptive to both competitors and online malls like ZOZO Inc (3092 JP).
It is making best use of staff knowledge and experience, an increasingly crucial asset in the competitive online fashion market, to create true omnichannel retailing.
As a result, it garners more than 70% of online sales from its own store, proving that the biggest competitor to Zozo is merchant direct sales, not other platforms.


Baycrews Grows Online Sales to 50% of Turnover

<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/line-corp" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:22772:1" rel="noopener">LINE Corp (3938 JP)'s </a>new collaboration with Staff Start is a huge boost to the fledgling omnichannel service provider but also helps cement LINE's role at the heart of omnichannel customer services and Live Commerce. Given LINE's new role at the heart of <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/z-holdings-corp" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:19603:1" rel="noopener">Z Holdings (4689 JP)'s </a>digital ecosystem, it is likely that Staff Start will be adopted across the group and maybe even become another subsidiary.Staff Start is a phenomenon. What started as a simple digital tool to help retailers post blogs online has become a full-service marketing platform used by more than 1,200 brands and retailers across fashion, food, home and sports, up from 700 two years ago.Staff Start has seen sales jump three-fold in the last year alone.The top selling shop staff manage sales of as much as ¥90 million a month, with a record for a single post of ¥13 million, so clearly a marketing method that works. Staff blogging has become a vital tool for many retailers, with one claiming 40% of direct online sales come from staff generated online content.The benefits of the deal will provide yet further challenges to rivals, especially <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/rakuten-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:31:1" rel="noopener">Rakuten Inc (4755 JP).</a>

LINE Corp (3938 JP)'s new collaboration with Staff Start is a huge boost to the fledgling omnichannel service provider but also helps cement LINE's role at the heart of omnichannel customer services and Live Commerce. Given LINE's new role at the heart of Z Holdings (4689 JP)'s digital ecosystem, it is likely that Staff Start will be adopted across the group and maybe even become another subsidiary.Staff Start is a phenomenon. What started as a simple digital tool to help retailers post blogs online has become a full-service marketing platform used by more than 1,200 brands and retailers across fashion, food, home and sports, up from 700 two years ago.Staff Start has seen sales jump three-fold in the last year alone.The top selling shop staff manage sales of as much as ¥90 million a month, with a record for a single post of ¥13 million, so clearly a marketing method that works. Staff blogging has become a vital tool for many retailers, with one claiming 40% of direct online sales come from staff generated online content.The benefits of the deal will provide yet further challenges to rivals, especially Rakuten Inc (4755 JP).

Firms like <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/world-co-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:27437:1" rel="noopener">World Co Ltd (3612 JP), </a><a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/tsi-holdings-co-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:19259:1" rel="noopener">Tsi Holdings (3608 JP)</a> and <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/onward-holdings-co-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:11370:1" rel="noopener">Onward Holdings (8016 JP)</a>  are facing serious problems adjusting to a new distribution reality for apparel trading in Japan. While World is cutting more brands and investing in home decoration and other projects and TSI is focusing on sports and e-commerce (please see our other insights on these changes), Onward is doing all of these things: cutting more brands, investing in non-apparel and beefing up e-commerce sales.There is still a long way to go.

Firms like World Co Ltd (3612 JP), Tsi Holdings (3608 JP) and Onward Holdings (8016 JP)  are facing serious problems adjusting to a new distribution reality for apparel trading in Japan. While World is cutting more brands and investing in home decoration and other projects and TSI is focusing on sports and e-commerce (please see our other insights on these changes), Onward is doing all of these things: cutting more brands, investing in non-apparel and beefing up e-commerce sales.There is still a long way to go.

Big Apparel in Trouble: Onward Aims for 30% of Sales from Non-Apparel Brands

Isetan Mitsukoshi Holdings Ltd / Equity Bottom-Up

Isetan-Mitsukoshi presents itself as one of the stronger department store businesses but its fractious boardroom battles and u-turns over store closures in the last five years have suggested a company in turmoil – as recent results indicate. The department store continues to talk big on digital solutions but it has an inherent problem: over-dependence on just three flagship stores.

Isetan-Mitsukoshi presents itself as one of the stronger department store businesses but its fractious boardroom battles and u-turns over store closures in the last five years have suggested a company in turmoil – as recent results indicate. The department store continues to talk big on digital solutions but it has an inherent problem: over-dependence on just three flagship stores.

Isetan-Mitsukoshi: Big Losses but Some Plans for the Future

Japan

ONWARD HOLDINGS CO., LTD. manufactures men's ready-made suits, women's, and children's wear.  The Company has its own brands, Onward and KUMIKYOKU. Onward also manufactures sports goods, books, stationery, cosmetics, art decoration.

Price Gauge
52-week Range	0.00 - 0.00
Market Cap (USDm)	0.00
P/E	0.00
Dividend (Yield)	0.00

Onward Holdings (8016 JP)

Onward: Moving to Showroom Stores and Click & Collect by 2024

Onward has closed 1,700 stores in two years and still needs to close more but its close integration of remaining stores and online should lead to...

Michael Causton

Baycrews Grows Online Sales to 50% of Turnover

Baycrews is leading the fashion sector on developing more direct online sales, pulling traffic away from the big online malls like Zozo. This is...

Michael Causton

LINE Ties with Staff Start

LINE has a promising new jv with Staff Start, which facilitates omnichannel retailing and which has tripled GTVs in a year and which generates...

Michael Causton

Big Apparel in Trouble: Onward Aims for 30% of Sales from Non-Apparel Brands

Onward Holding, like its peers, is being forced to restructure further and faster than planned three years ago when competition in the apparel...

Michael Causton

Isetan-Mitsukoshi: Big Losses but Some Plans for the Future

Japanese department store sales are in fallout but Isetan-Mitsukoshi looks worse off than most despite investors thinking otherwise. Its dependence...

Michael Causton

Price Gauge

52-week Range

Market Cap (USDm)

P/E

Dividend (Yield)