BEENOS Inc. conducted a survey on the awareness of cross-border e-commerce (EC) and Japanese culture among 1,821 overseas customers who use the company’s international purchase support service, Buyee. This survey aimed to explore how international consumers perceive Japanese culture and cross-border EC, focusing on areas related to the newly announced Cool Japan Strategy, offering a different perspective from Buyee’s purchase data.
The “New Cool Japan Strategy,” announced in June, set a goal to expand the overseas market for content, inbound tourism, food, beauty, and other related industries from the current 19 trillion yen to 50 trillion yen by 2033. Among these, Japanese content-related categories such as anime, manga, and games are consistently popular on Buyee. On August 22, 2024 (Thursday), BEENOS released “Cross-Border EC and 2024 First Half Highlights,” analyzing overseas consumer insights based on Buyee’s purchase data in key areas of the Cool Japan Strategy.
The survey results revealed that 65.2% of respondents said anime was the initial reason they became interested in Japan, followed by games at 42.8% and manga at 42.5%. In terms of elements within Japanese culture that overseas consumers found particularly appealing, anime ranked first at 71.5%, followed by Japanese food at 61.0%, and manga at 57.6%. This highlights a strong interest not only in Japan’s content culture but also in its food and tourist destinations.
When asked about their experiences with travel to Japan, 60.3% of respondents had visited Japan at least once, and 57.5% were planning to visit within the next year. A previous survey indicated that 49.9% of respondents had visited stores they learned about via EC platforms before visiting Japan, while 35.4% had purchased items through cross-border EC after their visit. These findings suggest a growing connection between cross-border EC and inbound tourism.
Regarding trends in the use of cross-border EC, 63.2% of respondents felt that “prices are cheaper in Japan,” and 66.8% said the weakening yen had increased their opportunities to purchase Japanese goods. Additionally, 71.0% of cross-border EC users monitored exchange rates, indicating that currency fluctuations significantly impact their purchasing decisions. The depreciation of the yen since 2022 has likely served as a catalyst for increased purchasing enthusiasm among overseas consumers.
The most popular product category purchased through cross-border EC was anime merchandise, with 52.4% of respondents indicating this preference, followed by games at 34.5% and fashion at 31.0%. For repeat purchases, anime goods remained the top category at 55.3%, followed by games at 40.2% and music at 33.6%. These results suggest that content-related products, especially anime merchandise, dominate the rankings.
Among cross-border EC users, 54.0% said they make purchases at least once a month, and 81.0% cited “personal collection purposes” as the primary reason for their purchases. Furthermore, 93.1% of respondents said they would prefer to purchase from official sites, even if the price was high, underscoring the importance of product reliability. When asked about factors influencing their purchasing decisions, 67.3% cited “high reliability,” followed by “low shipping costs” at 66.8%, and “variety of available products” at 60.7%. Social media also plays a significant role in gathering information about new products, with 49.7% using YouTube, 46.7% using Instagram, and 41.7% using X (formerly Twitter), showing that consumers are actively utilizing multiple platforms to stay informed.
Since 2008, BEENOS Inc. has been engaged in the cross-border EC business, offering global purchase support services like Buyee. The company provides logistics services and diverse payment methods, with more than 5.5 million members worldwide. Leveraging its expertise in international shipping and customer support, BEENOS has assisted domestic companies in selling abroad, achieving over 5,000 successful cases to date. The company’s service of bundling products purchased from multiple sites and offering affordable international shipping has been highly rated, contributing to its high repeat customer rate.
