Top 10 Ecommerce Sites in Japan

1. Amazon Japan

Estimated number of monthly visitors (2023): 601.7 million

Amazon Japan has firmly established itself as the top site in Japan’s ecommerce market, thanks to its significant investments since the early 2000s. Japanese consumers were already splurging on Amazon’s imports, especially books. So, Amazon jumped in to cater to this demand, expand its presence, and ramp up its profits.

Today, it leads in traffic volumes and sales revenue, surpassing even local favourites like Rakuten.

In 2023, Amazon Japan was not just the most visited ecommerce and shopping website in the country but also ranks as the sixth largest website overall.

Japanese consumers primarily turn to Amazon for practically everything under the sun, including nifty tech gear, stylish clothes, and even binge-worthy video streaming.

2. Rakuten Ichiba

Estimated number of monthly visitors (2023): 507.7 million

Rakuten Ichiba, a Japanese ecommerce giant, stands out for its unique virtual shopping mall experience. Founded in 1997, it allows businesses to sell directly to consumers across a massive range of categories like electronics, clothing, and cosmetics.

Rakuten has a massive customer base of over 500 million in Japan – that’s about 79.6% of the whole country tuning in to shop. What sets it apart from some other ecommerce companies is its virtual shopping mall approach. Instead of just lining up products like on Amazon, Rakuten lets you “stroll” through your favourite brands.

One appealing feature of this ecommerce site is its Super Points loyalty program, which allows customers to earn and redeem points across various categories and companies. With 68% of Japanese people having Rakuten points, it’s a go-to platform for ecommerce businesses seeking customer loyalty and retention.

3. DMM

Estimated number of monthly visitors (2023): 185.3 million

DMM.com, founded in 1999 in Japan, has carved out a significant niche in the ecommerce and internet world.

Not your average ecommerce site, DMM stands out by specialising in digital items. It’s a go-to platform for an array of products, from eBooks and online games to educational services and a variety of video-on-demand options.

Additionally, DMM.com Securities offers unique services like charity auctions and currency services. This blend of digital and physical products makes DMM a popular ecommerce platform in the Japanese online marketplace.

4. Mercari

Estimated number of monthly visitors (2023): 136.8 million

Mercari, Japan’s favourite ecommerce flea market app, quickly became a hit after its launch in 2013, turning into one of the country’s first unicorn companies – a privately-owned startup company worth more than $1 billion. It’s hugely popular, with over 100 million Japanese customers a month on average in 2023.

On Mercari, you can buy and sell all sorts of things, from the latest gadgets to clothing to unique finds like collectible coins, toys, and quirky antiques. Its clever shipping method lets you send items anonymously from local convenience stores.

Mercari has been so successful in the Japanese market that it’s now in the US and the UK too. Some of the key factors that make Mercari successful are its mobile-centric approach, seamless seller experiences, and direct customer interactions. Notably, embracing Bitcoin payments highlights their innovative edge.

In 2023, Mercari’s innovative commission-based model led to an impressive revenue of JP¥172 billion ($1.2 billion), showcasing their strong position in a tech-driven consumer market.

5. Yahoo! Shopping Japan

Estimated number of monthly visitors (2023): 105.4 million

Another big name in the Japanese online shopping world is Yahoo! Shopping Japan. Owned by SoftBank and Alibaba, it’s part of the well-known Yahoo! Japan family, which includes its Auction and Shopping sections.

This ecommerce platform is big on variety, selling everything from trendy clothes and shoes to cosmetics, furniture, and more.

Yahoo! Shopping made a smart move joining forces with Yahoo! Auction, a favourite for second-hand deals in Japan, which only adds to its appeal. With a marketplace model, it racked up sales of 4.1 trillion yen in 2022, proving it’s a go-to spot for both buyers and sellers looking for a great online shopping experience.

6. Yahoo! Auctions Japan

Estimated number of monthly visitors (2023): 87.3 million

Yahoo! Auctions Japan is like Yahoo! Shopping’s own flea market, where you can find almost anything. The site is a favourite among collectors, especially for those interested in anime, manga, gaming, and fashion.

As Japan’s largest online auction and flea market app, Yahoo! Auctions Japan is great for finding unique items not available on the regular shopping site. It’s well-known for its auction feature, but there’s also a quick-sell option for faster deals.

It’s part of the wider Yahoo! Japan platform, making it a go-to place for a huge variety of product categories.

7. Zozotown

Estimated number of monthly visitors (2023): 50.5 million

Zozotown, established in 2004, quickly became Japan’s top spot for fashion and footwear. It’s perfect for anyone looking for the latest styles or selling trendy brands. Known for a great selection of both Japanese and international brands, it’s where you go for new releases and hard-to-find, limited-edition items.

What makes Zozotown special is its focus on fashion lovers. Zozotown rocks the online fashion world with about 1,600 brands and savvy innovations like the “Zozosuit” for custom-fit clothes.

Their approach blends selling new, consignment, and used items, appealing to a wide shopper base. This business model, along with great customer engagement, helped them net $1.36 billion in 2023.

8. Rakuma

Estimated number of monthly visitors (2023): 21.2 million

Rakuma, launched in February 2018, is the result of a smart merger between Fril, Japan’s first consumer commerce app, and Rakuten’s Rakuma service. It’s now one of Japan’s top mobile commerce apps, especially for Japanese shoppers into fashion and beauty.

Rakuma offers a seamless peer-to-peer trading experience. It’s become a favourite spot for both buyers and sellers looking for an easy and quick way to trade in the Japanese ecommerce market. Although the original Fril site still attracts a lot of visitors, Rakuma is where the action happens.

Rakuma stands out for its minimal fees and accessibility on both desktop and mobile devices, making it one of Japan’s most popular ecommerce platforms.

9. Wowma

Estimated number of monthly visitors (2023): 14.8 million

Wowma, developed by KDDI, stands as a prominent online marketplace in Japan, leveraging the reach of its parent company, AU Mobile, a leading mobile phone operator. This connection gives Wowma a unique advantage, especially in mobile advertising, making it highly visible to a vast number of mobile users in Japan.

The site prides itself on an extensive catalogue that features more than 20 million products from a range of categories including cosmetics, home equipment, decorations, apparel, and electronics.

It’s constantly updated, ensuring customers always have access to the latest trends and items. This approach keeps Wowma at the forefront of Japanese ecommerce, offering a dynamic and trend-conscious shopping experience.

Wowma’s popularity is especially notable among mobile users, making it an invaluable ecommerce market for sellers looking to reach a large (and expanding) customer base.

10. Qoo10 Japan

Estimated number of monthly visitors (2023): 13.6 million

Qoo10, once known as GMarket, is a big name in online shopping in Japan and Southeast Asia. Qoo10’s crushed it in both Japan and Singapore’s ecommerce market by being an early bird since 2010. They understand what the locals want, and offer an extensive catalogue of products, from sports gear and fashion to home goods and books.

Qoo10’s success story stands out with their remarkable 30% growth rate, triple the national ecommerce average. Their secret is their strong appeal to young, style-conscious consumers, especially women, who make up 71% of its user base. They’re big on social media too, using platforms like TikTok and Twitter to connect and grow their vibrant community.

Qoo10 has held its own against big ecommerce companies like Alibaba and Amazon. Even with the entry of Amazon.com‘s Prime Now in 2017 and significant investments from giants like Alibaba’s Lazada, Qoo10 continued to be a hit among shoppers.

Though we’re not sure about their revenue for 2023, according to Similarweb, they’ve likely brought in between $75M – $100M.

FAQs

Is ecommerce popular in Japan?

Japan is the third largest ecommerce industry in the world with £190.5 billion ($241 billion) in online transactions. This growth is supported by the strong presence of ecommerce platforms like Amazon, Rakuten, and Mercari.

What types of products are most commonly purchased online in Japan?

According to Statista, the two most popular categories for online purchases in Japan are clothing and books/movies/music/games (excluding downloads), favoured by 30% and 22% of consumers respectively. Food and beverage shopping is the third most popular category, accounting for 21% of online purchases.