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29 Oct 2000, Japan

Dear Dr.E-Commerce,

I am planning to set up an online shop for Nepalese goods targeted at Japanese consumers. Therefore, I need to customise my site through use of Japanese language and to find means to reach their homes. Can you please suggest to me how this can be achieved? I want the people to visit my site frequently. How will they know of the existence of my site (I am starting with very little capital for e-commerce side since I have to maintain stocks of goods). Also, how can the payment for goods be made as Japanese prefer stacking cash and use of credit cards is low? Thank You for your time and help.

Amrit

Dear Amrit:

I asked Ryan Minor, a global sales and marketing expert at Allaire Corporation, and he replies:

"Assuming Amrit knows Japanese and can ship his products to Japan, he can start to market very cheaply using Japanese search engines and portals (eg, www.yahoo.co.jp). If he has a customer list, he can also try some viral marketing and ask them (in a PS for instance) if they could kindly let their friends and colleagues know about his business -- word of mouth is very effective for small niche businesses. Also, if he does not have a catalogue he should consider setting up even a very modest mail order programme to complement his on-line presence. "

I would add, that if you want people to visit your site again and again, it is critical that you provide excellent content that people want to read. Search engines and advertising will bring people to your site. But you need quality content to bring them back again and again. I suggest you provide a lot of information about Nepal and the Nepalese goods you are selling. You might even think about starting a discussion forum or newsletter on the topic.

Neither Ryan nor I have heard that the Japanese are resistant to using credit cards. Certainly, those who are on-line and willing to buy on-line are likely to use credit cards. But you are right to explore alternative methods. Since you are in Japan, you could talk to your post office or courier company about the possibility of cash on delivery (COD) shipments. You could also look into accepting bank transfers - talk to your bank manager about this - and cheques via post. The more options you have available, the better.

Finally, if resources are limited, you should look into teaming up with a Japanese partner or two who could handle customer service (called "customer relationship management" or CRM in the latest e-jargon, but I think it is better to focus on the notion of customer service, so I'll continue to use the old-fashioned term!).

Good luck,

Dr. Ecommerce