Introduction of "BuySmartJapan," a shopping agent service for overseas residents, to the official online shop "ALA Online"- Satisfying the needs of foreign visitors to Japan who wish to purchase products after returning to their home countries


10 August 2015
SBI ALApromo Co., Ltd.

Introduction of "BuySmartJapan," a shopping agent service for overseas residents, to the official online shop "ALA Online" - Satisfying the needs of foreign visitors to Japan who wish to purchase products after returning to their home countries

SBI ALApromo (head office: Minato-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Yasushi Takezaki; "SBI ALApromo") is pleased to announce that it has introduced "BuySmartJapan," a shopping platform for foreign visitors to Japan who wish to purchase products via EC sites after returning to their home countries, to our official online store "ALA Online" (http://www.5-ala.jp/).

■ What is "BuySmartJapan"?

"BuySmartJapan" is a platform to offer shopping carts in Chinese (simplified and traditional), English, Korean, and Japanese and shipping services to 120 countries and regions. "BuySmartJapan" is offered by VeriTrans Inc. (head office: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Takashi Okita; hereinafter referred to as "VeriTrans"), and it receives purchase orders from overseas residents for products sold on EC sites in Japan, purchases products on behalf of the customers, and handles overseas shipping.

■ Background to the introduction

The number of foreign visitors to Japan jumped 46% year-on-year to 9.14 million in the first half of 2015, reaching a record number for the first half. Thanks in part to the increase in number of free independent travelers (FIT), visitors from China are now pushing 0.5 million, a first for a single month. Large-scale shopping by Chinese visitors who purchase Japan-made products, such as home appliances and health food, in large quantity is attracting growing attention (*2).
Overseas sales of supplements and cosmetics containing 5-ALA that are handled exclusively by the SBI Group are on the rise. In line with the expansion of duty-free coverage in fiscal year 2014 for foreign visitors to Japan, pharmacys are strengthening their efforts to apply duty-free treatment to consumables, such as supplements and cosmetics. Amid these changes, there are expected to be more opportunities to market our products to foreign visitors in the future.
Up until now, foreign visitors who purchased SBI ALApromo products at pharmacys and other facilities in Japan were unable to reach the same products again after they returned to their home countries. However, the introduction of "BuySmartJapan" has enabled those customers to purchase SBI ALApromo products via ALA Online after they return to their home countries. SBI ALApromo will continue striving to increase customer convenience by responding to the needs of overseas residents who wish to constantly purchase products.

Product purchase page


About SBI ALApromo Co., Ltd.

SBI ALApromo Co., Ltd., is a subsidiary of SBI Holdings, Inc., which is a holding company that controls a comprehensive enterprise group primarily engaged in activities relating to financial services. SBI ALApromo is engaged in the manufacturing and sale of health foods and cosmetics using 5-Aminolevulinic acid ("5-ALA") (*1).
(*1) 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA): An amino acid created in mitochondria. It is an important substance that serves as protein material related to energy production in the form of hemes and cytochromes, and its productivity is known to decrease with age. 5-ALA is contained in shochu distillation remnants, red wine and food such as radish sprouts. It is also known as a material forming chloroplasts in plants.
(*2) Source: Japan National Tourist Organization (JNTO)

**************************************************

For further information, please contact:

SBI ALApromo Co., Ltd. Marketing Department

Tel: +81 3 6229 0092 FAX: +81 3 3224 1021 email: sbiala_info@sbigroup.co.jp

distributed by