Latest Japanese E-Commerce Case Study 2025: Yamazen
- あゆみ 佐藤
- 4 hours ago
- 4 min read
1. Background of Yamazen and the Strategic Need for “Yamazen Bizcom”
1.1 Traditional Sales Channels and the Discovery of Hidden Corporate Demand
For many years, Yamazen primarily sold its consumer products—such as circulators, hot plates, furniture, and small appliances—through home centers and large EC malls.
However, detailed analysis of sales data revealed a significant insight:the rate of receipt issuance was far higher than expected, indicating substantial purchasing by corporations and business users.
These included:
Companies purchasing in bulk for new office setups or renovations
Factories and facilities procuring equipment
Businesses buying consumables on a recurring basis
Sole proprietors and home-based offices purchasing office appliances
In other words, corporate demand was far larger and more diverse than originally assumed.
1.2 Limitations of the Conventional EC Mall Approach
Despite this growing corporate customer base, existing EC mall operations could not meet their needs:
Insufficient support for volume discounts
Lack of essential B2B documents (quotations, invoices, receipts)
Limited ability to customize services for corporate workflows
Corporate feedback rarely reached Yamazen’s core product development teams
Although Yamazen has traditionally built its brand on “listening to customer needs and reflecting them in product development,” the consumer-goods division had struggled to incorporate corporate needs under the mall-based model.
2. Strategic Design and Launch of “Yamazen Bizcom”
2.1 Concept and Strategic Intent
On May 10, 2022, Yamazen launched its own corporate-focused EC platform: Yamazen Bizcom.
The core concept: “Establish a direct-to-customer EC channel to better understand corporate needs, develop new markets, and expand the value delivered.”
A key design decision was not to exclude B2C products (e.g., camping gear).The reasoning:
Corporate buyers are also individual consumers
Positive personal purchase experiences can increase trust and future B2B purchases
Increasing overall sales volume tends to drive B2B sales proportionally
This hybrid approach has already produced measurable results.
2.2 Clear Definition of Target Customers
Yamazen segmented its target audience with both current needs and future scalability in mind:
Corporate customers (large enterprises, SMEs)
Bulk office purchases
Facility equipment purchases
Recurring consumable procurement
Sole proprietors & home-based professionals
Office furniture and appliances
General consumers
Potential transition to business use
Importantly, Yamazen designed Bizcom with the long-term goal of making it a platform that large enterprises can confidently adopt.
3. B2B-Optimized Functions and Operational Efficiency
3.1 Volume Discount Capabilities
To support the frequent bulk purchasing behavior of corporate clients, Bizcom implemented:
Enhanced bulk-purchase and combination-purchase functions
Tiered discount structures based on quantity
Ability to handle large-scale (thousands of units) container orders
These enhancements allow corporate buyers to see discounted prices instantly—eliminating the need for multiple quotation requests and dramatically accelerating decision-making.
3.2 Automatic Issuance of Quotations, Invoices, and Receipts
Bizcom supports essential B2B transaction documentation:
Automated quotation generation
Instant receipt issuance
Automated invoice generation for corporate billing cycles
This significantly reduces administrative workload for both Yamazen and its customers.
3.3 Support for Post-Payment / Invoice Billing
Post-payment (invoice billing) is essential in B2B procurement.
Bizcom supports:
Monthly billing through corporate accounting departments
Reduced need for immediate payment
Automated handling of recurring orders
This capability makes Bizcom practical for real-world corporate procurement workflows.
4. Backend Integration Driving Company-Wide Efficiency
4.1 Unified System with Existing EC Mall Operations
One of Bizcom’s greatest strengths lies behind the scenes:the backend is fully integrated with Yamazen’s existing EC mall systems.
Benefits:
No manual data transfers
No inconsistencies across sales channels
Reduced risk of shipment or cancellation errors
Lower development and maintenance costs when adding new features
Yamazen invested significant time in integration testing to ensure stability.
4.2 Automation of Order, Shipment, and Billing Processes
Bizcom automates:
Order intake
Inventory allocation
Shipment instructions
Delivery arrangements
Invoice generation
What previously required multiple manual steps is now processed automatically, greatly reducing internal labor requirements.
5. AI-Powered Sales Growth and Customer Experience
5.1 AI Recommendations Generating Approximately 10% of Sales
Using recommendation technology (Silver Egg), Bizcom automatically analyzes:
Browsing behavior
Purchase history
Similar-customer patterns
AI then proposes relevant products, enabling:
Cross-selling
Up-selling
Predictive product suggestions based on corporate purchasing cycles
As a result, around 10% of total sales are generated through automated AI recommendations.
5.2 Personalized Experiences Based on Account Type
During registration, users select one of three attributes:
Corporate
Sole proprietor
Individual consumer
Bizcom adjusts:
Banner display
Newsletter content
Coupon distribution
This enables the platform to effectively serve both B2B and B2C audiences with a single unified interface.
6. Evidence of Growth: Membership, Revenue, and Customer Satisfaction
6.1 Rapid Growth in Membership
May 2022: Official launch
May 2024: Surpassed 80,000 members
April 2025: Surpassed 200,000 members
FY2025 goal: 300,000 members
This pace is exceptional for a B2B-oriented EC platform.
6.2 Revenue Targets Achieved One Year Ahead
Yamazen originally planned:
3-year revenue goal: ¥1 billion
Actual performance:
2024 (year 2): On track to achieve ¥2 billion
Bizcom met its 3-year target in just 2 years, showing strong market-product fit in Japan’s expanding B2B-EC sector.
6.3 Rising Customer Satisfaction
Corporate feedback:
“Quotations are fast and simple.”
“Volume discounts make bulk purchasing efficient.”
“Invoice billing aligns with our accounting workflow.”
Consumer feedback:
“Easy to search products.”
“Fast delivery.”
“Direct-from-manufacturer gives peace of mind.”
7. Operational Benefits for Both Customers and Yamazen
Bizcom improves efficiency for both sides:
Process | Before | After |
Obtaining a quotation | Contacting multiple sellers | Instant price & discount display |
Invoice handling | Manual filing | Automatic download |
Order confirmation | Manual cross-checking | Fully automated |
Invoice issuance | Issued individually | Automatically generated |
Cross-selling | Sales staff-driven | AI-driven recommendations |
8. Broader Implications and Future Expansion
Bizcom provides important insights for Japan’s B2B-EC sector:
Corporate demand can be uncovered through data analysis across all channels
Owning a platform enables true data-driven improvement
Front-end UXだけでなくbackend統合が成功要因
AI and automation will become essential drivers of B2B EC performance
Yamazen aims to evolve Bizcom into a platform that large enterprises routinely use, positioning itself as a key role model in the B2B-EC domain.
Conclusion
Yamazen’s “Yamazen Bizcom” demonstrates how a manufacturer-distributor can transform its business through B2B e-commerce.
With:
Corporate-specific functions
Strong backend integration
AI-assisted sales generation
Rapid user and revenue growth
Bizcom has become one of Japan’s standout B2B-EC success stories—achieving in two years what was originally planned for three.
https://www.yamazen.co.jp/archives/001/integrated_report_j_2025.pdf
https://www.silveregg.co.jp/archives/blog/2025-07-BtoB-EC-Use-Cases
https://www.yamazen.co.jp/archives/001/integrated_report_j_2024_1.pdf
https://www.yamazen.co.jp/business/industrial-solution/is-products/
https://www.knt.co.jp/ec/shiga-miraitoshi/dl/saitaku_ichiran02_1017.pdf
