Japan is the fourth biggest ecommerce market in the world and yet eBay has never thrived there. Famously, more than a decade ago, despite a deal with Yahoo and great investment, it retreated. If memory serves, eBay Japan was the only major market eBay ever totally failed in. And ever since, many merchants have long wanted to see a burgeoning eBay Japan.
And maybe there is new hope with a deal to acquire Giosis and the Qoo10.jp marketplace.
The acquisition of Giosis’ Japan business significantly expands eBay’s footprint in Japan, one of the largest e-commerce markets in the world. Building on the strength of the Qoo10.jp platform, we will be able to offer Japanese consumers more inventory from around the world. With the Qoo10.jp platform, we also will be able to serve a new and growing user base as well as broaden our presence in a dynamic, underpenetrated market with strong e-commerce potential and high mobile adoption.
– Devin Wenig, President and CEO of eBay Inc.
eBay made an initial investment in Giosis in 2010. Since then, Giosis has established several marketplace businesses across Asia, including in Japan. With the acquisition, eBay says it will build on Giosis’ progress in Japan, enhancing the domestic customer experience and providing approximately two million Japanese buyers currently using the Qoo10.jp platform with a curated selection of merchandise sourced both locally and from across the globe.
We know that other very decent options exist for selling to Japan already so eBay has competition. Rakuten is homegrown and thrives there, despite problems in the UK. And Amazon also offers selling options, not least a marketplace, as well as a selling console that enable merchants to list and administer sales using an english language portal.
If eBay can offer an easy and intuitive way for British and European merchants to sell in to Japan profitably, then it could well be on to a winner. Watch this space.
