Winning on Quality: Japan's Curated Commerce Strategy

Japanet Holdings began as a single camera store in Nagasaki. With a model based on the three steps of "Discover, Polish and Communicate," the company has redefined Japan's approach to retail, travel, and sports, growing into one of the country's most innovative consumer service groups.

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Japanet's roots were humble. It started in 1986, when founder Akira Takata opened a camera shop in Nagasaki. From this modest base, the company steadily expanded into radio shopping, TV shopping, catalog sales, and then online sales.

The subsequent business succession was an anomaly in Japan. In 2015, Akira Takata completely retired at age 65, taking neither a chairman nor an advisory role. He handed full authority over to his son, Akito, who was 35 at the time. Such a complete transfer of power is rare in Japan's corporate culture, where founders often remain affiliated long after stepping down. “This was unparalleled, and I was deeply grateful for it. He trusted me,” Akito recounts.

At the time of the handover, Japanet's annual sales were approximately 150 billion yen (about $1.01 billion at current exchange rates). From this base, Akito expanded the business beyond the core products—home appliances, bedding, and household goods—that had been the focus of his father, to include cruise travel, food subscriptions, and water dispensers. He succinctly explains his philosophy: “In any field, if the quality is good, you can sell it with confidence.”

“Careful Selection and Concentration” to Refine Offerings

While global e-commerce platforms like Amazon and Rakuten compete with sheer product volume, Japanet's strategy is the near opposite: “Careful selection and concentration” (Gensen Shūchū). Japanet targets customers who want to make a good purchase but find it bothersome to research and compare products themselves. Leveraging the company's strength in selection, it rigorously curates the optimal product in each category and sells it on a large scale. By buying in massive bulk—tens to hundreds of thousands of units—it gains price competitiveness and the ability to develop Japanet original models incorporating customer needs.

“Doing Everything on Our Own” to Control Every Step