What made you decide to join ZenGroup?
I have been living in Japan for about 11 years. I initially came to Japan as an English teacher and continued living here while working in the education field.
Over time, I began to think that if I wanted to build a long-term career in Japan, I should challenge myself in a corporate environment, which led me to start looking for a new opportunity.
When I first learned about ZenGroup, I was not very familiar with proxy purchasing or cross-border e-commerce. However, as I researched further, I became strongly interested in the concept itself, enabling overseas customers to purchase Japanese products.
Additionally, through the company website and interviews, I learned that many international members with diverse backgrounds work at ZenGroup. Feeling that this was a place where I could work comfortably and be myself was a major reason why I decided to join.
Could you tell us about your daily responsibilities?
I currently work as a Project Manager, where my main responsibility is to create an environment that allows marketers to focus on executing their strategies.
Rather than directly managing advertising campaigns or social media posts, my role is to support marketing activities behind the scenes and ensure everything runs smoothly.
My work includes designing workflows, selecting tools, improving UX, supporting research, and considering automation initiatives.
Marketers often approach me with questions such as “I don’t have time to research this,” “I’m not sure how to set this up,” or “I’d like to try a new tool.” I organize these requests and share or assign them to the team in the most effective way.
When is the busiest time of year for the marketing department?
For a project manager, there isn’t a clearly defined “busy season.”
Workload can increase suddenly depending on the status of ongoing projects, urgent internal or external requests, or system and specification changes.
While marketing activities tend to become more active toward the end of the year, I feel that this role requires flexibility above all, the ability to respond to whatever comes up, at any time.
How do you stay up-to-date with marketing trends and information?
I regularly check marketing-related blogs, industry news, and platform update information.
Another important source of information comes from listening to the team, comments such as “we’re seeing a lot of this issue recently” or “this is becoming a bottleneck” provide valuable insights.
Once a challenge becomes clear, I look for tools, software, or case studies that could help solve it, test them myself, and then propose solutions to the team.
Rather than simply collecting information, I always focus on how it can be used to make daily work easier and more efficient.
What do you think is the most important skill required for a marketer at ZenGroup?
The most important skill is having a student mentality, a willingness to keep learning.
The marketing world changes very quickly, and methods or tools that were effective just a few years ago may no longer work today.
With constant updates to advertising platforms, SEO, UX, and social media, the key difference lies in whether someone is motivated to keep learning rather than stopping once they have mastered something.
Those who enjoy learning new knowledge and following trends tend to grow faster in this environment.
What are some of the most popular products being bought from Japan?
Anime-related products are especially popular. Figures, limited-edition goods, and collector’s items that are only available in Japan receive strong support from overseas customers, particularly in France.At the same time, there are niche products that make you think, “Does this really sell?” but end up strongly appealing to specific audiences.
Even if a product is not very popular in Japan, it may have high value overseas, discovering this is one of the most interesting aspects of cross-border e-commerce.
What kind of users use the service most often?
Our main users are from Europe and North America.
The core age range is from the late 20s to 40s, and many of them have a strong interest in Japanese culture and products.
The gender ratio varies depending on the market and product category, but overall, male users tend to be slightly more common.
That said, the number of female users is increasing in categories such as anime, fashion, and lifestyle.
Have you ever collaborated with any influencers?
Yes, we have collaborated with many influencers over the years.
Recently, in addition to working directly with individual influencers, we have increasingly partnered with agencies to efficiently collaborate with multiple creators at once.
Since the best approach differs depending on the country and culture, choosing the right method for each market is very important.
What kind of fun digital marketing campaigns have you been a part of?
One campaign that stands out is the global project “From Japan to Me.”
We focused on real overseas users and documented how Japanese products are used in their daily lives through interviews and filming.
Although the process required a lot of time and coordination, the final content was highly praised both internally and externally.
I believe its greatest success was that it conveyed real user experiences rather than simply promoting products.
Could you describe the work environment and atmosphere in your team/office?
The marketing team has a strong sense of speed, and something is always moving.
While the pace has become faster than before, that also means there are many opportunities for growth.
The company has an open atmosphere where anyone can easily share their opinions.
There is a lot of communication across departments, and I feel that a culture of not handling challenges alone is firmly established.
In what ways do you feel you have grown since joining ZenGroup?
Most of my practical marketing knowledge has been developed through my experience at ZenGroup.
When I joined, my experience was limited, but through hands-on work, I was able to gain exposure to a wide range of areas such as SEO, advertising, UX, and community management.
I also feel that I have grown in my ability to view projects from a broader perspective and to support teams in a coordinating role.
Has ZenGroup supported your personal/professional growth?
ZenGroup offers an environment where employees can freely learn through platforms such as Udemy.
These resources can be used not only for work-related skills but also when exploring new fields of interest.
There are also opportunities to participate in external seminars and online study sessions, and the culture encourages sharing what you’ve learned within the team.
What are you currently studying or learning to improve your marketing skills?
At the moment, I am particularly focused on studying UX.
To make marketing initiatives successful, it’s important to understand not only ads and content, but also how users feel and behave.
Since there are not many UX specialists within the team, I hope to deepen my knowledge and become someone who can support others in this area.
What do you like most about ZenGroup?
ZenGroup truly values work-life balance.
Overtime pay is properly compensated, flexible working hours are available, and overall it is a very comfortable work environment compared to many Japanese companies.
There is also a culture that encourages continuous learning, allowing employees to grow at their own pace, which I find very appealing.
