DAISO, widely recognized as a 100-yen shop, has expanded its presence beyond physical stores into the digital realm with three key websites: the DAISO Net Store, the DAISO Online Shop, and a bulk order platform. Under the slogan "Enriching the lives of people around the world with impressive prices and quality," DAISO ventured into e-commerce to cater to the growing consumer demand for online shopping. Leveraging Shopify's e-commerce platform, DAISO has achieved significant growth metrics, including a 400% increase in sales and a 249% spike in traffic.
We conducted an interview with Mr. Yamazaki Yoshiya, who plays a pivotal role in managing DAISO's e-commerce operations, to delve deeper into the company's strategies for both B2B and B2C e-commerce, their use of Shopify to enhance business performance, and their vision for future development.
E-commerce Journey of DAISO
B2B Initiatives:
Originally, DAISO launched a bulk order website catering to large-quantity business orders. This platform supported minimum orders of 500 units, later adjusted to 300. The introduction of the DAISO Online Shop for B2B transactions addressed the need for smaller quantity purchases while maintaining business efficiency by utilizing existing logistics optimized for bulk distribution.
Transition to B2C:
Rising consumer inquiries led to the early launch of the DAISO Online Shop for individual consumers in April 2021, initially limited to the Kanto region and subsequently expanded nationwide in October 2021. The shift to Shopify allowed DAISO to expedite this rollout.
We believe that the reason DAISO is so popular with customers is because of the wide variety of products it offers. When a customer wants a certain product, they can purchase it either in a physical store or online, and they can freely choose where to purchase it based on convenience, the number of items they need, etc. This is ideal.
Upgrading to Shopify Plus:
Faced with integration issues due to high order volumes, DAISO upgraded to Shopify Plus, which significantly enhanced data synchronization with physical stores' inventory and expanded functionality.
Innovations and Enhancements
By adopting Shopify Plus, DAISIO was able to:
- Customize checkout processes to support their unique delivery model.
- Implement automatic shipping calculations with the Script Editor tool.
- Integrate YouTube Shopping, boosting sales by 350% post-implementation.
These enhancements facilitated the management of DAISO's extensive product catalog, consisting of 76,000 SKUs, with a significant portion available both online and in the 6,451 stores globally.
In hindsight, I think the big factors in our selection were the people's personalities and corporate culture. Shopify responded to the internal mood of wanting to quickly respond to customer needs and quickly implement and operate them. In addition to their speed of response, even if we made requests that are difficult to realize at present, they took a positive attitude, saying "there is a possibility that it will be possible in the future."
Future Directions
Looking forward, DAISO aims to bridge the gap between online and offline channels, enhancing customer experience through strategies such as BOPIS (Buy Online Pick-up In Store). By leveraging the strengths of its extensive store network and integrated inventory system, DAISO plans to reduce barriers and seamlessly merge its B2B and B2C platforms.
DAISO's ambitious e-commerce strategy illustrates its commitment to customer orientation, aiming to provide seamless purchasing experiences whether online or in-store. With Shopify as its platform, DAISO is set to further revolutionize its approach, ensuring they meet customer needs with efficiency and innovation.
