Shopify Review: How To Use Shopify In Japan [Pros & Cons]

Shopify in Japan has become increasingly popular as an eCommerce platform for both beginners and experienced entrepreneurs.

Shopify is a popular e-commerce platform that allows businesses to create online stores and sell their products to customers worldwide.

With over 3,000 live Shopify stores in Japan, it’s clear that the platform is a popular choice for businesses looking to expand their online presence.

But what payment options are available for Shopify in Japan, and how do you pay for your subscription?

In this article, we’ll explore these questions and more to help you decide if Shopify is the right choice for your business.

What is Shopify?

Shopify is an all-in-one eCommerce platform that makes it easy to launch your dream business and start selling to your customers.

It’s a complete solution for entrepreneurs who want to easily build their own online store with no technical skills needed.

Shopify is one of the best-known eCommerce platforms and has become the most popular choice for online stores.

It’s a large e-commerce hosting platform headquartered in Ottawa, Canada, and has exploded over the past decade.

It has become a staple for online retailers worldwide, being present in Japan also.

Several Shopify websites in Japan are reaping the benefits of gaining a self-hosted, easy-to-navigate platform for their online brands, and this number is expected to grow. 

Is Shopify Available in Japan?

Yes, Shopify is available in Japan. In fact, it is one of the most popular e-commerce platforms in the country.

Shopify is a global e-commerce platform that allows you to create an online store and sell your products online.

It has a strong presence in Japan, with many local businesses using the platform to sell their products online. You can use Shopify to sell physical, digital, and services.

The platform offers a wide range of features and tools to help you manage your online store, including payment processing, shipping and fulfillment, and marketing and analytics.

One of the benefits of using Shopify in Japan is that the platform fully complies with local regulations and laws.

This means that you can use Shopify to sell your products online without worrying about legal issues or compliance requirements.

How Does Shopify Work in Japan?

As I’ve mentioned earlier, Shopify is basically good for newbie entrepreneurs who are just getting started with the eCommerce business.

You really don’t have to know the specifics to get started with Shopify in Japan.

To use Shopify in Japan, you must sign up for a free Shopify account, and the Shopify wizard will take you through the whole process.

To start using Shopify in Japan, you’ll have to have a product you want to sell. Once you have that, upload your product pictures, the shipping order, and the product quantity.

The Shopify platform supports two popular ways of selling online. The first is having your product inventory yourself, and the other is through dropshipping.

Who Can Use Shopify in Japan? 

Basically, any eCommerce entrepreneur in Japan can use the Shopify store to sell their products online. 

So technically, depending on what brand or niche you focus on around physical or digital products, Shopify can be your safe haven.

below are samples of what you can use your Shopify store to sell online (Both physical and digital products) 

• Fashion
• Art
• Jewellery and Accessories
• Electronics
• Foods
• Memberships
• Home and Garden
• Furniture
• Sport and Recreation
• Toys and Games
• Service appointments
• Craft
• Books
• Consultations
• Quotes, estimates, and assessments
• Rentals
• Donations
• Event tickets
• Digital gift cards
• And much more… 

How To Sell on Shopify in Japan

Selling is the process of marketing products online, including everything from marketing, advertising, order management, shipping, and more.

Using social media and SEO (search engine optimization) is extremely important if you want to attract new customers to your Shopify website. They work together, so use both to your advantage.

You can maximize your SEO potential by including accurate product descriptions and other content that has relevant keywords.

It takes a bit of time to build up some momentum, but eventually, you’ll start to see a few new visitors to your site.

Shopify offers multiple features to help you get the word out there about your online store.

You can use different Shopify marketing apps such as Facebook channel and SEO Suite to post on social media and track your analytics and SEO.

Many apps are actually free and can be used effectively to create great marketing and advertising campaigns.

Step 1: Create Your Shopify Account

To get started, you need to create a Shopify account. Go to the Shopify website and click on the “Get Started” button.

Normally, on the Shopify website, you’ll get access to a 14-day trial that you can use to explore Shopify.

But if you go through this Shopify promo page, you’ll gain access to a 3-month free trial for $1.

So to get started, head over to the Shopify promo page to create your Shopify account.

Enter your email address. Once you’ve done that, click “Start Free Trial” to proceed. After doing that, you’ll be taken to the next page.

So here, Shopify will work you through a short question process and answer with what best describes you.

It doesn’t matter if you’re write or wrong just choose the best one that describes you. Once you’ve done that, Click next and it will take you to the next page.

Just choose an online store since you want to use Shopify to create an online store. And not, just choose what best what you want to use your Shopify store for.

Again, it doesn’t matter if you choose right or wrong answer, it’s just a questionnaire for Shopify research purposes.

Once you’ve chosen where you’ll to sell to sell, click the next button.

Choose what best describes your Shopify business, whether for dropshipping in Japan, selling digital products, or even print-on-demand products you buy and want to resell online.

The next page will ask where you’ll open your Shopify store. Choose your country from the dropdown menu.

So chose your country and click the next button to create your Shopify store and login to your Shopify account.

Click on continue with email address, the next page will ask you to enter the password you’ll like to use.

Enter your password and your Shopify account will be created. Once it’s created you see your dashboard like this…

Once in your Shopify dashboard, you’ll see the step of things you have to do. Like picking a pricing plan, adding a product and customising your Shopify store.

Step 2: Adding Products to Your Store

Once you’ve created your store, you can start adding products.

From you dashboard from the left hand-side click on the “Products” tab and then click “Add product” to add a new product.

Once you’ve click on add products you’ll be prompted at the next page to enter the product’s name, description, price, and other details.

You can also upload images of your products to make them more appealing and add pricing.

If the product have any variant, you can also add them here.

Step 3: Designing Your Shopify Store

You can start designing your store after creating your account and adding products.

Shopify offers a wide range of themes and templates that you can use to customize your store’s design.

From the left side of your dashboard, click “Online Store.” it will bring a preview of your store based on the existing design.

Next, you can click on customize to start designing the store.

If you don’t like the existing theme, click on add theme below the customize button or scroll down to choose from the free available Shopify themes.

Choose a theme that suits your business and customize it to your liking. You can also add your logo, change the colors, and add images to make your store look more professional.

Step 4: Setting up Payment Methods

To start accepting payments, you need to set up payment methods. Shopify supports a wide range of payment gateways.

Go to the “Settings” tab and click on “Payment providers” to set up your payment methods.

Step 5: Choosing a Shopify Plan

After adding your products, customizing your store, you’ll need to choose a Shopify plan in other for your store to be visible and start your 3 month trial.

Shopify offers different pricing plans, depending on your business needs. Choose a plan that suits your business and budget.

You can start with the basic plan and upgrade later as your business grows. Once you add your payment details, you won’t be charge until the trials ends.

Step 6: Shipping and Delivery Options

Finally, you need to set up shipping and delivery options. Go to the “Settings” tab and click on “Shipping and delivery” to set up your shipping options.

You can choose to offer free shipping, flat rate shipping, or calculated shipping based on weight and destination.

Based on your store business, like dropshipping, your store needs to have a shipping option that caters to all countries you’ll be selling to.

How Do I Pay For Shopify in Japan?

When it comes to paying for Shopify in Japan, several options are available to you. Here are some of the most common ways to pay for your Shopify subscription:

1. Credit or Debit Card

One of the easiest ways to pay for your Shopify subscription is by using a credit or debit card. Shopify accepts various cards, including Visa, Mastercard, and American Express.

Simply enter your card details into the payment section of your Shopify account, and your subscription will be automatically renewed each month.

2. PayPal

If you prefer to use PayPal, you can link your PayPal account to your Shopify account. This will allow you to pay for your subscription using your PayPal balance or a linked bank account.

To set up PayPal as your payment method, go to the Payment Settings section of your Shopify account and follow the instructions.

Shopify Pricing In Japan

You should know that the monthly cost of selling with Shopify varies based on how many products you sell and other tools needed to run it successfully.

However, before choosing any plan, you have a 14-day free trial to test the platform. You can do this just to get familiarised with the platform and see what works and what doesn’t.

Shopify cost in Japan comes in different plans.

• Shopify Basic costs $32 monthly (and 2.9% + 30¢ per transaction)
• The Shopify plan cost $92 monthly (and 2.6% + 30¢ per transaction)
• Advanced Shopify cost $399 monthly (and 2.4% + 30¢ per transaction)

Another thing you should know about the plan is that – you get a 10% discount on any plan you choose if you pay straight for a year. And a 20% discount if you pay straight up for two years.

You can purchase additional pricing packages or another pricing package for your Shopify store. They include:

• Shopify Lite lets you sell on an existing website and costs $9/month
• Shopify Plus is designed for enterprises, costing $2000/month

Please also note that there is no charge for manual payment methods on your Shopify store, such as cash on delivery or bank transfer

What Payment Gateways Are Available for Shopify in Japan?

If you’re running an online store in Japan using Shopify, you’ll need to accept payments from your customers.

Fortunately, Shopify supports several payment gateways that are available in Japan.

One of the most popular payment gateways in Japan is Shopify Payments. This payment gateway is built into Shopify, making it easy to set up and use.

Shopify Payments supports a variety of payment methods, including credit cards, debit cards, and digital wallets. It also offers features like chargeback management and real-time payment tracking.

Another popular payment gateway in Japan is Atome PayLater. This payment gateway allows customers to pay for their purchases in three easy installments with zero interest.

Atome PayLater is a great option if you want to offer your customers a flexible payment option that can help increase sales.

If you’re looking for a payment gateway that supports a wide range of payment methods, including credit cards, debit cards, and bank transfers, then SBPS might be the right choice for you.

SBPS is a payment gateway that’s popular in Japan and supports a variety of payment methods.

Other Shopify Payment Gateway For Japan

Includes the following:

• 2 Advanced Credit/Debit Card – UseePay
• 2Checkout
• 2Checkout Convert Plus (by Verifone)
• Airwallex
• Airwallex – Cards and Local Payment Methods
• Alipay – KOMOJU
• Amazon Pay
• Asiabill Local Payments
• Asiabill Payments
• Atome PayLater – 3 easy payments, 0% interest
• auかんたん決済 – SBPS
• Bancontact – KOMOJU
• Bankful
• BitPay
• Blik – KOMOJU
• Cartão de Crédito – Oceanpayment
• Checkout.com
• Checkout.com – Offsite Payments
• Coinbase Commerce
• Credit / Debit Card – Mint
• Credit/Debit Card Payments via Paynamics
• Credit/Debit Cards and e-Wallets
• Crypto.com Pay
• CyberSource
• Dragonpay – KOMOJU
• d払い – SBPS
• FasterPay
• FPX Online Banking – KOMOJU
• Giropay – KOMOJU
• GrabPay Singapore – KOMOJU
• HitPay
• iPay88 Malaysia
• KOMOJU – Korean Credit Card
• KOMOJU – Paidy
• KOMOJU – クレジットカード決済 (Credit Card)
• KOMOJU – コンビニ決済 (Convenience Store)
• KOMOJU – スマホ決済 (Smartphone Payments)
• KOMOJU – ペイジー決済 (Pay-Easy)
• KOMOJU – 楽天ペイ (Rakuten Pay)
• KOMOJU – 銀行振込 (Japan Bank Transfer)
• LianLian Pay
• Multibanco – KOMOJU
• NihaoPay
• Oceanpayment
• OnePAY – Credit/ATM card/QR
• OnePAY – Installment (Credit Card)
• ONERWAY
• Opn Payments
• Pay with Pace
• PAYCO – KOMOJU
• Paymentwall
• Payoneer Checkout
• PayPal Express Checkout
• PayPay(オンライン決済) – SBPS
• Paysafecard – KOMOJU
• PayTabs KSA
• PayTabs UAE
• PayTR – Kredi / Banka Kartı
• Payzone Maroc
• PingPong Checkout
• Przelewy24 – KOMOJU
• Rapyd Payments
• Shopify Payments
• Skrill
• Sofort – KOMOJU
• Splitit
• TapPay
• w | Pay with Card
• w | Pay with E-Finance
• w | Pay with iDEAL
• w | Pay with PostFinance Card
• w | Pay with Przelewy24
• w | Pay with TWINT
• wallee Payments
• Xendit Payment Gateway (New)
• あと払い（ペイディ）
• キャリア決済 – ドコモデジタル
• クレカ/銀行口座から無料3回払い (Smartpay)
• クレジットカード決済 – SBPS
• クレジットカード決済(3Dセキュア) – SBPS
• クレジットカード決済（PGマルチペイメントサービス）
• コンビニ決済 – SBPS
• コンビニ決済（PGマルチペイメントサービス）
• ソフトバンクまとめて支払い – SBPS
• 楽天ペイ – SBPS
• ｄ払いードコモデジタル

Shopify Review in Japan: Pros and Cons

Let’s explore their strengths and limitations when it comes to selling with the popular Shopify platform.

Shopify Review in Japan: FAQs

Let’s look at some of the frequently asked questions about Shopify in Japan. This will provide more info to queries we haven’t torched in the content.

Shopify Review in Japan: Conclusion

In conclusion, Shopify is the best e-commerce platform for businesses in Japan. It provides businesses with everything they need to succeed online.

One of the biggest advantages of Shopify is its local market integration.

Japan businesses can easily set up their store, customize their site to their brand, and manage their inventory and orders all in one place.

This makes it easy for businesses to focus on growing their brand and increasing sales.

Additionally, Shopify offers a wide range of apps and integrations that can help businesses streamline their operations and improve their customer experience.