What made you decide to join ZenGroup?
Originally, I was studying at university in Australia while working in the marketing field. I worked as a marketer for about three years at a company that handled promotional goods, and I found the work itself very rewarding.
At the same time, I had a strong interest in Japanese culture. During my university years, I joined a Japanese language club, where I interacted with exchange students and participated in cultural events. Through these experiences, I started to think that I wanted to try living in Japan at least once, which led me to move there.
Because I did not speak Japanese at the time, I initially worked as an English teacher. However, over time, I realized that I wanted to return to marketing, so I began looking for a new opportunity. That is when I came across ZenGroup.
At first, I was not very familiar with proxy shopping services or cross-border e-commerce. However, I found the idea of enabling people overseas to purchase Japanese products extremely interesting and socially valuable. I was also attracted by the opportunity to work with multiple markets—not only Australia, but also the United States and the United Kingdom—which ultimately led me to join the company.
Could you tell us about your daily responsibilities?
I currently work as a leader within the marketing team, overseeing multiple English-speaking markets. My main areas of responsibility include the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.
When I first joined ZenGroup, I worked as an English-market marketer, handling tasks such as ad operations, SEO, and email marketing at a hands-on level. As the team expanded, I moved into a leadership role. Today, rather than focusing on individual campaigns, my primary responsibility is overseeing projects that impact multiple markets.
Within the marketing department, we have specialized squads for areas such as Google Ads, Meta Ads, and organic initiatives (including social media, SEO, and email marketing). We collaborate across these squads as needed to move projects forward.
When is the busiest time of year for the marketing department?
It varies depending on the project and market, so there is no clearly defined “busy season.” While marketing activity generally increases toward the end of the year, we are often busier due to sudden projects or changes in service specifications.
Because of this, the role requires flexibility and the ability to respond quickly, rather than preparing for a specific time of year.
How do you stay up-to-date with marketing trends and information?
On a daily basis, I check marketing-related blogs, industry news, and update information from various platforms. I also pay close attention to feedback from within the team, such as comments like “this part is challenging” or “this task is taking too much time,” which often reveal important issues.
Once a challenge becomes clear, I look for tools or new systems that could help solve it. I test them myself and then share my findings with the team. Rather than simply collecting information, I focus on how it can make our work easier and lead to better results.
What do you think is the most important skill required for a marketer at ZenGroup?
I believe the most important skill is having a mindset of continuous learning. The marketing world changes extremely fast, and methods or tools that were effective a few years ago may no longer work today.
With advertising, SEO, social media, and UX constantly evolving, people who can enjoy learning new things—rather than thinking “I’ve already learned this”—are the ones who tend to grow the most.
What are some of the most popular products being bought from Japan?
Across many markets, anime-related products are consistently popular. Overseas interest in Japanese anime culture continues to grow, and there is stable demand for figures, limited-edition items, and other collectibles.
In addition, products that highlight the quality of Japanese brands—such as fishing gear—are also popular. In Australia, fishing is a common hobby, and Japanese fishing equipment is highly trusted. Customers in this category tend to be slightly older on average.
What kind of users use the service most often?
In English-speaking markets, our main users are typically in their late 20s to 40s. Many have a strong interest in Japanese culture and products, often discovering the service through anime, games, or hobbies.
While the age range varies depending on the product category, overall, there tends to be a slightly higher proportion of male users.
Have you ever collaborated with any influencers?
Yes, I have experience collaborating with influencers.
While I’m not always the one directly in charge of influencer collaborations, I did personally work with several influencers when I was managing the English market.
Most of the collaborations were with influencers in the United States, mainly because that’s where most of our customers are, and there are also many influencers to choose from.
I’ve also collaborated with influencers in Australia, New Zealand, and the UK, and I believe we also did one collaboration in Poland as well.
Many of the influencers I worked with focused on anime or gaming, but I also collaborated with influencers who focused on fishing, cars, Japan tourism, and lifestyle content.
What kind of fun digital marketing campaigns have you been a part of?
One campaign that left a strong impression involved taking the brand beyond online channels and into real-world experiences.
In English-speaking markets, marketing efforts tend to focus heavily on digital channels. However, by participating in an event held in Australia, we were able to introduce the ZenGroup brand directly to users in person. Allowing people to experience the service firsthand, rather than only through ads or websites, made a strong impact.
In the U.S. market, influencer collaborations were also particularly memorable. By having creators actually use the service and share their experiences, we were able to deliver content that felt more authentic and trustworthy.
Through these initiatives, I realized that marketing is not only about numbers—it is also about how a brand is remembered. Approaching campaigns from both online and offline perspectives played a key role in their success.
Could you describe the work environment and atmosphere in your team/office?
When you enter the Osaka office, it feels different from a typical Japanese office. You immediately notice an international atmosphere, with multiple languages being spoken. My team is made up of members from diverse backgrounds, and the marketing department alone includes people from over 30 nationalities.
The environment is flat and open, and even new members are encouraged to share their ideas. When challenges arise, colleagues are quick to help, and when I became a team leader, I received a lot of support and advice from managers and senior members.
The company also values work-life balance and does not assume excessive overtime. Knowledge-sharing is active, with team members casually exchanging information about new SNS features or successful cases. There is a strong sense of “overcoming challenges together,” which makes it a very comfortable place to work.
In what ways do you feel you have grown since joining ZenGroup?
One of the areas where I feel I have grown the most is in supporting others as a leader. Working with team members from different nationalities and backgrounds has made me think more carefully about how to bring out each person’s strengths.
Team compositions often change from project to project, which means rebuilding relationships each time. While challenging, this process has contributed greatly to my personal growth.
Has ZenGroup supported your personal/professional growth?
ZenGroup provides access to learning platforms such as Udemy Business, allowing employees to study a wide range of topics beyond marketing. I find it especially valuable that I can learn areas like psychology, data analysis, and programming, which indirectly support my marketing work.
There is also a strong culture of sharing what we learn within the team, making it less likely for knowledge to become siloed.
What are you currently studying or learning to improve your marketing skills?
Throughout my career as a marketer, I have learned a wide range of skills. While working in English-speaking markets, I was involved in Google Ads and Meta Ads, SEO, blog writing, email marketing, and influencer negotiation and collaboration.
One experience that left a strong impression was learning basic HTML in order to create blogs and feature pages. Designing pages with the question “How can users find products more easily?” in mind greatly expanded my marketing perspective.
Now, as a team leader, my role has shifted from executing individual campaigns to designing projects from a global perspective. Recently, I have been focusing on project management and automation, learning how to build efficient systems for the entire team using tools such as Zapier and Slack integrations.
My learning style is very hands-on. Rather than relying only on classroom-style learning, I prefer to apply what I’ve learned immediately, refine it through trial and error, and gradually improve my skills through practice.
What do you like most about ZenGroup?
What stands out most is the environment that actively supports challenge and growth. Within the marketing team, new ideas and proposals are welcomed, and there is a strong “let’s try it first” mindset.
Everyone takes their role seriously and works hard to achieve results. It never feels like anyone is cutting corners, and that shared commitment naturally raises the motivation of the entire team.
The company as a whole is also highly ambitious about growth and expansion. Even as the organization grows, the sense of community remains strong, which I believe is a unique strength of ZenGroup.
The office environment is comfortable, with spaces for focused work as well as areas to relax. Being able to balance periods of concentration with moments to recharge is an important factor for working long-term.
