EJ 002 - Enter the Right Way
Enter the Market
You’ve finally landed in Tokyo. Time to go to Shake Shack.
❓
❗”Wait, what?”
Who flies halfway around the planet to a country celebrated for its incredible, world-renowned cuisine, and orders a plain hamburger?
What kind of person sits within walking distance from the imperial palace and eats french fries with ketchup?
As it turns out, a lot of people do.
Japanese and foreigners alike. Try to get a table at a Tokyo Shake Shack, and you’ll more than likely find yourself waiting for one.
Like it or not, Shake Shack made it into Japan - and they made it work. What’s interesting is that they did so without changing much at all.
Time to wait in line for Shake Shack.
So this begs the question :
Planet Japan
To Japanify, or Not to Japanify?
What do we mean by that?
Take a look at McDonald’s in Japan. They’ve got teriyaki burgers, shrimp cutlet sandwiches, and edamame side orders. They put a uniquely Japanese twist on their products and it worked out great for them.
Shake Shack did nothing of the sort.
So which approach is best for your idea?
To Mac or to Shake?
That question is actually pretty far down the list of questions you need to ask yourself when thinking about your market entry strategy. The first, and by far the most important question is -
Why do you want to come to Japan?
If you’ve seen enough movies with Bootcamp scenes, you won’t mind me referencing the image of a drill instructor looming over a frightened new recruit.
It should be a question that can be answered with a snap of a finger. It’s an incredibly serious life decision that carries the weight of some very real consequences.
Whether it’s enlisting years of your life or investing millions of your dollars, you would think that we’d be able to explain the reasons for our decisions quickly and confidently.
So why do so many of us stutter when asked the question?
“What made you join my beloved Marine Corps, private?”
Well, many people just want to be in Japan for the sake of being in Japan.
Whether they admit to it or not.
And while I can’t question the validity of one’s personal reasons -
I can say pretty comfortably that being here for the sake of being here probably isn’t the best strategy from a business standpoint.
If you don’t hold a strong belief in what makes your idea special, and why it will work in Japan - you may be setting yourself up for a bad time.
Brute force market entry is a recipe for disaster.
Some companies are in a financial position to say, “I don’t care what it costs; get me into Japan.”
But even Aeon, the top retailer in the entire country, has experienced failure in bringing foreign brands into Japan. They’ve invested heavily in foreign products only to find that they were simply not adapted to the Japanese consumer.
Maybe it was the prices, the sizes, or even the packaging. We can’t say for sure.
We can see clearly that even with all that money and power behind them, some ventures are simply not suited for Japan.
Research and strategy are crucial.
Is your niche too saturated? Are your competitors too powerful?
All these questions and more need to be asked before you take those first steps.
But with the right partners, the right mindset, and a little bit of patience - you can give yourself a pretty solid chance.
We came before & checked the market scape.
Together, we can come up with a unique strategy that makes the most sense for your unique endeavour.
Work with us
contact@eggworm.jp
So until next time - お疲れ様です and keep up the good work.