Japan E-Commerce Latest Cases 2025: Nagomiya
- あゆみ 佐藤
- 2 hours ago
- 4 min read
Nagomiya Co., Ltd.: Achieving Full Elimination of FAX Orders, Workforce Reduction, and New Customer Acquisition Through B2B E-Commerce Adoption
1. Company Background and Organizational Challenges
1.1 Overview and Market Position of Nagomiya
Nagomiya Co., Ltd., founded in 2009, has grown over 15 years into a reliable wholesaler specializing in commercial-use Japanese confectionery.
Key business characteristics include:
Products: Commercial-use wagashi sourced from manufacturers nationwide
Clients: Confectionery shops, supermarkets, restaurants, ryokans, hotels, souvenir shops, and more
Registered customers: 1,110 companies (as of December 2020)
Supplier manufacturers: Approximately 40
Employees: 3 (pre-introduction)
Nagomiya’s business model expanded step-by-step—from wholesaling to supermarkets and wagashi shops in its early years, to later serving small independent retailers, foodservice operators, and other new sectors.
1.2 Limitations of the Traditional FAX-Based Ordering System
Before adopting B2B e-commerce, Nagomiya relied entirely on manual FAX orders—leading to serious inefficiencies.
Customer-side burdens
Handwritten order forms differing by manufacturer
The inconvenience of sending orders by FAX
Multiple order sheets required when ordering from multiple manufacturers
Nagomiya-side burdens
Frequent input errors caused by unclear handwritten forms
High risk of misreading or misinterpreting FAX orders
Significant costs for catalog printing
Two staff members were required solely for order processing
Operational challenges
Order processing workload increased directly with the number of customers
Employees lacked time for meaningful customer communication
The business model was reaching its operational limit—growth created more burden rather than value
1.3 Challenges in Acquiring New Customers
COVID-19 accelerated new customer registrations dramatically:
New registrations per day: 50 → 70–100
Increased sign-ups from sectors Nagomiya had not originally targeted (e.g., restaurants)
Staff capacity was reaching a breaking point
The company recognized a critical issue:Administrative bottlenecks—not market demand—were hindering growth.
2. Introduction of “B-Cart” and Transformation of Order Processing
2.1 Why Nagomiya Selected B-Cart
Nagomiya implemented B-Cart, a B2B e-commerce and ordering platform provided by Dai Co., Ltd.
Key reasons for selection:
Comprehensive support for B2B-specific business practices– Handles invoicing, credit terms, multi-destination delivery, and other B2B needs by default
Affordable small-scale start– Monthly fee of only ¥9,800
Rapid deployment– Can be launched in as little as three days
Strong track record– Over 800 companies had already adopted the platform
2.2 How B-Cart Reformed the Order Workflow
Before: Manual, error-prone workflow
Customer fills out a handwritten order form
Sends by FAX
Staff manually inputs data into the system
Errors frequently occur
Shipping department receives instructions
After: Digital, automated workflow
Customers place orders directly on B-Cart’s web interface
Order data is automatically imported into Nagomiya’s system
Staff contact customers only when additional confirmation is needed
Shipping instructions are generated automatically
FAX, manual input, and reading errors were eliminated entirely.
2.3 Utilizing the “Memo” Feature to Strengthen Customer Understanding
B-Cart includes a “memo” section within the admin dashboard.
This allows:
Recording customer preferences (“This customer prefers ○○ product lines”)
Smooth handovers between staff
Enhanced service quality through personalized responses
The platform functions not only as an ordering system but also as a lightweight CRM tool.
3. Workforce Reduction Through Streamlined Order Processing
3.1 Reducing Order Staff from Two to One
The most immediate outcome of the digital transition was cutting order-processing staff from two people to one.
Reasons for the reduction:
Manual tasks dramatically decreased
Input errors were virtually eliminated
Processing steps were consolidated and accelerated
3.2 Reinforcing Customer Service with Freed-Up Capacity
Rather than simply reducing labor costs, Nagomiya reinvested the freed personnel resources into value-added activities:
More attentive phone support
Deeper understanding of customer needs
Consultative selling and recommendation-based interaction
This shift elevated the company from mere order processing to customer-focused service operations.
4. Significant Growth in New Customer Acquisition
4.1 B-Cart as a New Acquisition Channel
For the first time, Nagomiya gained a digital customer acquisition pathway:
Online search → site visit → registration → order
A scalable, automated new-customer acquisition model was established.
4.2 Surge in New Registrations
Before: 50 registrations/day
After: 70–100 registrations/day
Annualized, this represents 7,000–15,000 additional customers per year.
4.3 Expansion into New Market Segments
The customer base diversified significantly.
Traditional segments:
Wagashi shops
Supermarkets
Newly acquired segments:
Restaurants
Ryokans and hotels
Souvenir shops
B-Cart helped Nagomiya reach industries it previously could not access through offline sales alone.
5. Quantitative Results
5.1 Operational Efficiency
Metric | Before | After |
Order staff | 2 | 1 |
FAX orders | Yes | Eliminated |
Input errors | Frequent | Rare |
Processing time | Long | Significantly reduced |
5.2 Customer Growth Metrics
Daily registrations increased by 40%–100%
Overall customer base expanded rapidly
Online acquisition became a sustainable growth engine
5.3 Achieving Efficiency and Growth Simultaneously
Nagomiya accomplished what many SMEs struggle with:
Reduced labor costs
Increased sales volume
Expanded customer base
All without expanding headcount.
6. Organizational Benefits Beyond Efficiency
Improved employee motivation due to reduced manual workload
Lower printing and catalog production costs
Higher order accuracy and customer satisfaction
Stronger customer relationships enabled by better service
7. Industry Context: Comparison with Toyosu Gyosho Direct Market
A comparison with another B-Cart-based case, Toyosu Fisheries Direct Market, shows:
Item | Nagomiya | Toyosu |
Industry | Wagashi wholesale | Seafood wholesale |
System | B-Cart | B-Cart + kintone |
Workforce | 2 → 1 | 2 → 1 (equivalent) |
Customer metrics | Expanded customer base | Customer unit price +20% |
Revenue | Expanded via acquisition | 1.5× revenue increase |
Despite industry differences, both companies demonstrate that B2B e-commerce reliably enables efficiency and growth in parallel.
8. Lessons for the Broader Wholesale Industry
8.1 A Model for SME Digital Transformation
Nagomiya demonstrates that SMEs can adopt DX with:
Low initial investment
Quick implementation
Highly scalable operations
8.2 Why “Now Is the Time” for B2B E-Commerce
COVID-19 accelerated digital expectations
Companies urgently needed new purchasing channels
Paper/FAX-based workflows reached operational limits
9. Future Outlook
Nagomiya plans to extend its DX initiatives:
Web-based ordering integration with manufacturers
Continued automation of internal workflows
Expansion into a more data-driven operational model
Conclusion
Nagomiya’s adoption of B-Cart enabled a complete departure from manual FAX ordering, a 50% reduction in order-processing staff, and a doubling of new customer registrations—all while improving customer service quality.
The company achieved not just efficiency, but strategic growth, redefining its operational model:
From manual work to digital automation
From reactive order-taking to proactive customer engagement
From limited reach to new market expansion
Nagomiya stands as a best-practice case for how Japanese SMEs can leverage B2B e-commerce to achieve both operational excellence and business growth simultaneously.
