The recent announcement of Verizon’s acquisition of Yahoo made headlines all over the world. The unexpected news came as a shocker for many. However, one country that was undeterred by the news was Japan. Yahoo! Japan, by far, outranks any other site in the country. It is the most visited website in Japan with its user base growing every year.
Yahoo! Japan came into being as a collaboration between Yahoo and SoftBank, a telecommunications company. It is Yahoo’s most valuable asset owing to its 35.5 percent stake. The growth trajectories for Yahoo and Yahoo! Japan have been diametrically opposite. Where Yahoo has seen a steady decline over the years, Yahoo! Japan has seen a spike.
What makes Yahoo! Japan different from other sites in Japan?
Yahoo! Japan is quite different from its parent company and that adds to its popularity in its native country. Here are the reasons why.
- Quick starts – Yahoo! Japan was formed a mere 11 months after Yahoo. Google, on the other hand, took 3 years to set up base in Japan. The early start allowed it to test the waters and develop a strategy for its growth.
- SoftBank is its primary stakeholder – SoftBank is a local Japanese telecommunications company with an almost identical share in the company as Yahoo. Having a local, majority stakeholder has helped shape its content and information to suit the needs of Japanese users.
- Local content – Yahoo! Japan is vastly different from its US counterpart. Firstly, it is in Japanese (of course). Second, it has multiple units that cater to a user’s every need. Lifestyle services, auctions, news, video, music, search, and other services are available to users on one single portal. Finally, it has many Japan-specific applications that appeal to its target market.
- Evolution – Rather than being only a web portal, Yahoo! Japan made plenty of mergers and acquisitions, making it a powerful conglomerate. By incorporating a Japanese strategy of doing business instead of an American one, Yahoo! Japan has managed to stay afloat in an area dominated by Google.
- Familiar design – Yahoo! Japan has stuck to its old layout instead of adopting the new ones. Changing the layout would mean users have to familiarize themselves with the new design, which could be time-consuming. By keeping the same layout, users are able to navigate easily and access services without having to change their browsing patterns.
Google in the Japan market
While Google is slowly creeping into the Japanese market, it is unlikely to take over from Yahoo! Japan. In its home country, Yahoo! Japan will always be the number one website if it continues to design native services for its users.
