Japan E-Commerce Association

Introduction: Japan Is Evolving Differently from China The global live commerce market continues to expand rapidly. In China, the market is projected to exceed 6 trillion yen (approximately $40 billion) by 2025, where massive audiences and explosive short-term sales define success. Japan, by contrast, remains significantly smaller, with a market size of roughly 300 billion yen as of 2023. Yet it would be a mistake to view Japan merely as a delayed version of the Chinese model

Introduction: From External Influencers to an Internal Operating Model In September 2025, Osaka-based apparel company MIX announced that its live commerce business had reached approximately ¥10 million in monthly sales. The company operates with a team of five streamers, four of whom are homemakers. Notably, MIX manages product registration, inventory, and shipping in-house, allowing streamers to focus exclusively on customer engagement and sales. Rather than relying on large

Introduction: Live Commerce Enters a Structural Turning Point In recent years, the live commerce market has begun shifting away from one-off viral successes toward a structure increasingly led by a small number of high-performing creators capable of generating consistent revenue. One example frequently cited is the performance of creator Ryu Kyogoku, affiliated with Live Commerce Japan. According to an official announcement, the “Ryu Kyogoku Birthday Festival” TikTok live str

Introduction: A Paradigm Shift Is Underway The live commerce market is approaching a major inflection point. The once-dominant model—“explosive sales driven by a single mega-influencer with massive reach”—is rapidly giving way to a portfolio strategy built around multiple micro-influencers with strong authority in niche domains. While global markets have seen high-profile key opinion leaders generate enormous sales through large-scale livestreams, the Japanese market is incre

Introduction: How certification is raising market quality As Japan’s live commerce market expanded rapidly through 2023–2024, one issue became impossible to ignore: wide variation in on-stream selling quality. Some creators can consistently convert attention into purchases, while others are strong at drawing viewers but struggle to drive sales. When the line between “sales-producing talent” and “view-only talent” is unclear, brands face higher risk in casting, and the market’

Traditional e-commerce typically records conversion rates (CVR) in the range of roughly 1–3%. Live commerce, however, introduces a fundamentally different purchasing mechanism. Drawing on publicly available case studies from Tailor App’s live commerce support service “LIVURU,” this column explores how strategic implementation can improve sales outcomes while laying the groundwork for long-term customer lifetime value (LTV). The Fundamental Difference Between Live Commerce and

Introduction: The baseline requirement for a live stream is simple—people must be able to watch it As live commerce expands, one of the fastest ways brands lose momentum is not product quality or presentation—it’s streaming trouble that damages credibility . A survey published by J-Stream in 2022 reported that around 15%  of respondents experienced relatively serious live-stream issues such as a stream cutting out for over a minute  or the stream stopping and ending mid-way .

Introduction: The Biggest Barrier to Live Commerce Isn’t Technology—It’s People As live commerce grows rapidly, more companies are driven by a clear ambition: “We want to increase sales through live streaming.” Yet, at the point of execution, many organizations run into the same hard wall. They don’t have people who can host. In traditional business structures, selling is often treated as a specialized profession. Live commerce is different. It requires a mix of product knowl

Introduction: What the “Low Viewing, High Purchase” Gap Really Means A 2023 survey published by NTT Com Research offers a useful snapshot of where Japan’s live commerce market stands today: Awareness of live commerce: 31.9% (roughly “have heard of it”) Viewing experience: 3.9% Purchase experience among viewers: 54.8% At first glance, this looks contradictory—viewing is still rare, yet more than half of those who do watch end up buying. The implication is straightforward: live

Introduction: From “Quality” to Strategic Frequency In live commerce, many factors influence sales, but one of the most underestimated is the timing and structure of promotional announcements. Despite this, many companies still operate under the assumption that a single, well-crafted announcement is enough to reach their audience. That assumption no longer holds in today’s social media environment. Timelines move quickly, posts have a short lifespan, and audiences rarely reme