Business is the common language of the world, as everyone would say. It doesn’t matter what country you live in, as long as you know the language of money, investment, partnerships, and stocks, survival is easy globally.
As a business major in the Philippines, I have been fully
observing business trends and competition in the businesses around the country.
I could say that I have a fair knowledge about it. But that is not enough. To
be a great businessman someday, I must also be aware of business trends in
other countries for me to think globally, also so that I could apply global
trends in my country when I plan to set up a business.
Being privileged to study in Japan as a foreign exchange
student, I did not miss the opportunity to expand my knowledge in business
trends. Since my arrival in Japan, I have started observing businesses, how
they earn, how they sell, and many more. The result of my observations were a
lot, but I would just like to specify this post to business trends, surviving
in Japan’s corporate world, and competition among other corporate rivals.
Here’s my one phrase description of businesses in Japan:
Needles in a haystack. Difficult to get in it, difficult to stay in it. Yes,
that’s an unexaggerated description of businesses here. I have two points to
discuss here. Going in and Staying in.
First point: Going in. Very difficult. For a country with
such high prices of goods and services, only few people could afford to set up
a business to earn profit while being able to maintain the business’ shape in
tip-top condition. If you are that inspired to set up a business but has no
easy access of capital, well all I can say is good luck with that. You’ll need
extra hard work, extra work hours, and extra creativity and resourcefulness to
be able to get the amount of investment you’ll need. Once you have the money,
what you need right now is the plan on how to make it work. All kinds of
businesses are already here, everything you can think of selling and serving,
yes, and they’re here. What you need is the plan to attract customers and gain
credibility. May it be sales or bargains, the choice is yours. Once you have
the money and the plan, well its time to set it up. And so we move to my next
point, staying in.
Second Point: Staying in. Much more difficult. Countless
businesses have already set up their names in Japan, from microbusinesses to
Corporations and all. They are also
everywhere, literally speaking. But do
not fear, you still have a chance! Of the millions living in Japan, you should
be able to grab some customers. In my observations, Monopolistic businesses
here are quite few, so competition is somewhat easy. And businesses in Japan
are customer-centered, which means that you, as the businessman, must think of
every way to please your customer and treat them like your masters. Still, one
must see to it that you get the right publicity and employees to stand out from
other businesses.
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| Sun Road, Kichijoji |
To give an example, I’d like to describe competition in
Kichijoji’s sun road and Akihabara’s Electric City. These two are some of the
most crowded places in Tokyo, the Sun Road selling mostly food, and Electric
City with Gadgets and electronics (duh). Because of the population crossing
those places, it results to high business competition in those areas. In sun
road, different food establishments can be seen: from small businesses to
Internationally known businesses (Like McDonalds, Shakey’s, etc.). Food can be
one of the goods that are the most easy to sell. But when there are hundreds of
businesses in the same place, competing for the same hungry customers, how
should you handle it? From my observations, businesses gets customers through
employees standing outside, bringing with them the menus and discounts (if
there are any) and they call people with their loudest voice to try to attract
customers. Exceptions are the establishments with known names; the people go to
them willingly. But I also observed that some businesses sometimes gets more
customers from the rest, sometimes they can beat the famous ones. How did they
do it? A presentable shop, with a presentable employee outside, and with a
reasonable price. The same goes with Akihabara’s Electric city, businesses gets
more customers if they showcase their best offers and all.
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| Electric City, Akihabara |
These are just some of my observations in business trends
in Japan, since I will be here for a year, I could update this post and talk in
an in-depth description of businesses here. Maybe on customer-business
relations, and customer service. :)
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