Japan's eCommerce space is dominated by established brands, so it is likely one of those countries with high entry barriers. In a country with such a deep cultural foundation as Japan, it is understandable. But that is not something to fear; it only means there are still untapped opportunities waiting to be discovered. 

Nate Shurilla, Head of APAC at Pacvue and Global Head of e-Commerce at Shiseido is with us today. In this episode, he shares exciting and significant insights about Japan's eCommerce, especially on four general drivers of consumer behaviors in online and offline businesses, as well as the big thing in Southeast Asia. He sees dynamism and innovative spirit in full swing now and in the coming years that will spur massive opportunities for many businesses and growth in the e-Commerce space.

You'll learn:

• How has life been lately living in Tokyo [02:27]
• For what reason he came to APac and stay for years [03:11] 
• Sharing about Japan from an e-Commerce perspective [04:33]
• Major eCommerce platforms in Japan [07:05]
• One word to best describe how it is like to be at the helm of things as global head of e-Commerce [08:07]
• Important insights on foreign DTC brands' launches in Japan [11:12]
• Why South East Asia is an important game player in e-Commerce [15:14]
• What mainly differentiates Asia Pacific from the US and Japanese markets [17:26]
• Valuable advice for e-Commerce startups and existing brands [21:16]
• Interesting and also significant observations about the E-commerce future in Japan, Southeast Asia, and globally [23:28]
• Seeing a big shift in advertising in Southeast Asian commerce [using retailer data for social media platform consumer targeting, AI image evolution] [35:32] 
• Talking about Pacvue and where you can reach Nate [42:14]

What was mentioned:

• Nate Shurilla: Website / LinkedIn
• Helium 10 
• PipeCandy
• Yahoo Shopping
• Rakuten
• Jiro Dreams of Sushi
• Yodobashi Camera
• Zozo

As a result of the global scenario that has affected everyone for almost three years now, businesses have had a difficult time doing business. Despite unfavorable market conditions, Thailand has seen steady growth in its eCommerce market.

In this episode, Nuttapon Boonpinon of nsquaredasia discusses how he found opportunities in rising inflation and shrinking buying power. He talks about eCommerce platforms that have contributed to Thailand's fast eCommerce performance and how influencers and brand partnerships have given it a new shape. Interestingly, he also made personal forecasts on the market players at the forefront of Thailand's eCommerce arena three years from now, including its percentage estimate for retail sales each year.

You'll learn:

• A backstory of what led to the creation of [02:29]
• One notable observation about Thailand's E-commerce in the past year or two[06:00]
• The reason behind quick E-commerce proliferation [where grocery items are concerned] in Bangkok[10:43]
• Influencers and partnerships are giving steady rise to E-commerce business in Thailand[15:06] 
• Becoming TikTok shop's leading partner in Thailand and how this platform has shown authenticity in its content and provide a measurable way of tracking a brand's marketing efforts [16:23] 
• Percentage estimate of eCommerce retail sales in the next three years [19:09]
• Recommended eCommerce platforms for startup brands looking to do business in Thailand[22:15]

What was mentioned:

• Nuttapon Boonpinon: Website/ TikTok
• 2C2P
• Shopify
• Woocommerce

Ideas worth sharing:

"In the first month, we started online selling, we had USD200 in sales, and now we have become more than 120 million US per year. It has been quite a journey." - Nuttapon Boonpinon

"What we see is that with the lower spending power of the customer, we see an opportunity as well. People are more cautious about their spending. Both shrinking wallets and inflation have heavily hit the big-ticket items. But the greater E-commerce adoption has brought us to what I call the final frontier of E-commerce which is grocery. It has low-value density, and this sector, food, and beverage have been growing tremendously from 40 to 50% and is still growing at the same rate as last year." - Nuttapon Boonpinon

"Tiktok is a good platform in terms of creating demand." - Nuttapon Boonpinon

"One thing I noticed about the TickTok shop platform is, they're non- subsidized for a long time. This is healthy as well. TikTok shop in Thailand, I believe in August, they start collecting a payment fee of 3%. It indicates that from October, they start collecting their commission fee."  - Nuttapon Boonpinon

"I believe Tik Tok got it right to integrate the social and transactional parts seamlessly so you can enjoy swiping through their videos." - Nuttapon Boonpinon

"[With TikTok] not only

Former Lazada Indonesia co-CEO Duri Granziol has launched consumer goods brand Mama's Choice in Indonesia with plans to expand across Southeast Asia. The brand seeks to appeal to expecting and new mothers by providing safe, halal and natural personal care products at an affordable price point.

In this episode, Duri shares significant ideas, thoughts, and insights on brand creation and product development. More than the experience approach of most for building a brand, he chose to embark on a data-driven perspective in conducting research and study to know the market and its demand.

There was no reason to reinvent the wheel of what big companies are doing, thus, utilizing third parties to manufacture products. He provides valuable thoughts on what sales channel mix to use where selling and marketing are concerned. And he doubles down on finding a brand's unique selling point as a differentiating factor from the rest of the market. And for the business to stay in the game for the long term. 

You'll learn: 

• A backstory of how he ended up in Southeast Asia E-commerce [01:04]
• The time he started working for Lazada and how he described the early days of Lazada [02:08]
• Sharing the story that led to establishing his own company Mama's Choice [04:31]
• How it was like building a brand in its early stages [07:29]
• Becoming the market leader online in just six months of starting the brand [10:23]
• Taking a look at the products' manufacturing process [13:03]
• Challenges and struggles the company has to face and overcome [14:05]
• Brand-building comparison in Southeast Asia, the US, and Europe [16:12]
• Sales channel mix the brand uses [18:54]
• Platforms they spend more on for brand awareness(plus how the difference between content used in FB and IG versus TikTok matter in terms of effectiveness and affordability) [22:55]
• Setting up operations in the five markets that they are present [26:11]
• Important angles to look at when doing product development [31:01]
• Banking on long-term differentiation [33:46]
• What he sees to be happening in Southeast Asia E-commerce from now on [36:37]

Mentions:

• Duri Granziol: LinkedIn
• Mama'sChoiceShop.com 
• Mama'sChoice.id
• Roshni Mahtani Cheung
• The Asian Parent
• TikTok
• Shoppee
• Lazada
• Facebook
• Instagram

Key Takeaways:

"The strategy was to go in some niches where we felt it was easier to enter and then go into more competitive categories later. We were looking at the needs of mothers that were currently unmet and trying to find a better solution for that." - Duri Granziol

"It was a given that we're going to start manufacturing locally. But then I realized Unilever, P & G, and everybody has outsourcing providers. They have factories that...