Latest Japanese E-Commerce Case Studies 2025: ABC Fan Life
- あゆみ 佐藤
- 2 days ago
- 4 min read
ABC Fanlife: A Successful Model for Integrating TV Shopping and E-Commerce to Expand Customer Bases and Improve Operational Efficiency
1. Business Background of ABC Fanlife and Challenges in the TV Shopping Model
1.1 Corporate Overview and Market Context
ABC Fanlife, part of the Asahi Broadcasting Group, operates a commerce business centered on television shopping programs such as Senobura Honpo and Rakuraku Manten Seikatsu. The company manages everything from TV program production to product introduction and order handling, creating a fully integrated commerce model.
In FY2025, the Asahi Broadcasting Group’s shopping business recorded over ¥20.2 billion in sales, with TV shopping as its core revenue contributor.
1.2 Impact of Internet Adoption on Customer Behavior
While phone orders were once the dominant channel for TV shopping, the spread of the internet created a rapid shift toward “I want to buy online, not by phone.” ABC Fanlife launched its first e-commerce site roughly 10 years ago, but the initial system and operational setup had major limitations.
1.3 Key Challenges in the Early EC Operation
1) Technical challenges: extreme traffic spikes during TV broadcasts
During a broadcast, tens of thousands of viewers access the site within minutes, often causing system overloads.
2) High development and maintenance costs
The company operated a fully customized EC and phone-order management system, where even minor design or structural changes cost several million yen and required lengthy development cycles.
3) Inefficient operations due to system coupling
The front end (EC website), the back end (order & inventory system), and the phone ordering system were tightly integrated, making scalability difficult and creating operational bottlenecks.
1.4 Structural Challenges Unique to TV Shopping
TV shopping has a structural characteristic:
Orders surge instantly after airing
Purchases are mostly one-time, not continuous
Hard to build long-term customer relationships
In other words, TV shopping has strong transactional spikes but weak customer retention. Strengthening the EC channel became a strategic necessity.
2. Migration to EBISUMART and Operational Efficiency Gains
2.1 Strategic Reasons for Adopting EBISUMART
ABC Fanlife selected the cloud-based EC platform EBISUMART to address the underlying issues. The strategic objectives were:
Cost efficiency through lower development and maintenance costs
Scalability with auto-scaling for peak broadcast traffic
Operational flexibility with a decoupled front and back end
Faster PDCA cycles enabling small improvements at low cost
Given limited budgets for system renewal, cost-effectiveness was a decisive factor.
2.2 Technical Improvements Achieved
1) Auto-scaling for peak traffic
Automatically increases server capacity during broadcast peaks
Reduces capacity during off-hours→ Achieves optimal cost and stable site performance
2) Independent front-end and back-end architecture
EC site (front) and order/inventory system (back) operate separately
Phone order systems are also linked to central inventory→ Enables parallel improvements and stable operations
3) Simplification of EC operations
Design updates, promotions, and UI modifications can be implemented in-house
Tasks that previously cost millions of yen can now be completed for a fraction of the cost
3. Integration of TV Shopping and E-Commerce
3.1 “ABC Mikke”: A TV-Linked E-Commerce Platform
“ABC Mikke” is an EC site designed to instantly reflect content from TV shopping programs. Its key features include:
Program Integration
Automatically displays products currently being broadcast
Supports search for products featured in past broadcasts→ Ensures a seamless viewer-to-buyer transition
Unified Inventory Management
Phone and EC orders flow into one centralized system
Prevents overselling or inaccurate stock display
Optimized User Experience
Fast and simplified UI
Built to withstand broadcast-related traffic spikes
3.2 Strengthening CRM through Integrated Customer Data
With EBISUMART:
Purchase history and user attributes are automatically collected
EC and phone-order customers are managed under unified IDs
Customer behavior can now inform repeat purchase strategies
This allowed ABC Fanlife to transition from “single-transaction TV shopping” to “relationship-based EC commerce.”
4. New Customer Acquisition Through the Launch of “itomani”
4.1 Strategic Rationale
In April 2023, ABC Fanlife launched a new EC platform “itomani”, independent from ABC Mikke. This initiative aimed to target customer segments not reached by conventional TV shopping.
4.2 Concept and Features of itomani
Target Audience
Women in their 30s–40s
SNS-native consumers rather than TV viewers
Content and Visual Strategy
High-quality product photography and editorial content
Lifestyle-oriented storytelling
Emphasis on “Instagrammable” presentation
SNS and influencer marketing
Active promotion on Instagram and TikTok
Trials in influencer-led product discovery
Strong synergy with digital advertising
4.3 Effects of the New Platform
Significant growth in younger and female customer segments
Parallel development of two brands with different purposes
Cross-analysis of both platforms for more precise merchandising decisions
5. Quantitative Achievements
5.1 EC Sales Ratio Increased from 17% to 27%
A sharp 10-point increase post-EBISUMART migration indicates a structural shift toward EC rather than a temporary spike from broadcast-driven purchases.
5.2 Expansion of Membership Base
SNS-driven new member registrations increased steadily
Data shows clear differences between ABC Mikke and itomani customers, proving effective segmentation
5.3 Maximizing TV Broadcast Effectiveness
A product aired three times achieved 1.6× higher sales on the third broadcast versus the first→ Suggests stronger retention and repeat purchase behavior among EC users
5.4 Contribution to Group Revenue
The ABC Group’s shopping business surpassed ¥20.2 billion, with plans to reach ¥20.9 billion the following fiscal year. EC improvements are a major factor in this growth.
6. Benefits to Corporate Operations
6.1 Reduced System Operation Costs
Design changes: multimillion-yen → tens of thousands of yen
Faster improvement cycles and data-driven decision-making
Reduced engineering resource requirements
6.2 Optimization of Human Resources
Automation enabled:
Inventory synchronization across channels
Integration of phone and EC orders
Automatic invoice generation
Staff can now focus on higher-value activities such as customer support and product planning.
7. Future Strategy
Enhancing ABC Mikke
Strengthen handling of broadcast-related access surges
Increase customer migration from phone orders to EC
Growing itomani
Expand SNS marketing and influencer collaborations
Enhance lifestyle and editorial content
Continue developing itomani as a media-commerce hybrid
8. Industry Implications
ABC Fanlife provides an important reference model for media commerce in Japan:
Demonstrates the synergy between traditional media × e-commerce
Shows how multi-brand EC can expand diverse customer bases
Proves that cloud-based EC platforms can deliver major competitive advantages
Offers a blueprint for converting broadcast “spikes” into ongoing customer relationships
Conclusion
ABC Fanlife successfully modernized its commerce business by combining:
TV shopping’s instantaneous sales power
EC’s ability to build continuous customer relationships
SNS-driven new customer acquisition
Cloud-based operational efficiency
This case illustrates how traditional media companies can transform themselves through EC modernization and represents a strong blueprint for future media-commerce strategies in Japan.
