Translating into Русский. The English version is shown until it is ready.
eBay Japan opens K-beauty Sample House in Tokyo's Shibuya
Коротко
eBay Japan, which runs the online marketplace Qoo10 Japan, opened a permanent K-beauty experience space called Sample House in Shibuya, Tokyo, on Oct. 1, the company said on Oct. 6. Visitors can try products from about 100 brands and take home seven free samples, with capacity of up to 700 people a day and 20,000 a month. The company plans a Mega Popup in Harajuku in November and a large flagship store near Harajuku Station next year.
Читать полностью 2 мин чтения
eBay Japan, which operates the online marketplace Qoo10 Japan, has opened a permanent offline experience space for K-beauty and other Korean brands in the Shibuya district of Tokyo. The company said the space, called Sample House, opened on Oct. 1 and occupies two floors totalling about 120 pyeong, according to Yonhap. Maeil Business reported that the space was created by renewing a live-commerce studio that had been in use since 2024. [ 1 , 2 ]
Visitors can try products from about 100 brands and select seven samples of their choice free of charge. After handing in brand cards at the counter, customers wait about three to five minutes and receive a paper pack of samples through a conveyor belt, a process Yonhap said was designed to add an element of fun. Customers are asked to review the products they receive in the Qoo10 Japan app within one month. Yonhap reported that about 90 percent of the products on display are K-beauty items, including Anua, Medicube and COSRX. [ 1 , 2 ]
The company expects up to 700 visitors a day and about 20,000 a month, while Yonhap reported that two weeks of reservations had already been fully booked. The brand and product line-up rotates every three months under a season system; Maeil Business said about 500,000 samples are prepared per quarter. eBay Japan said the initial focus is beauty and health foods, with plans to extend to general foods and entertainment products. [ 1 , 2 ]
Explaining the strategy, Yonhap reported that e-commerce accounts for only about 10 percent of the Japanese market and that the company believes consumers are reluctant to order unfamiliar products online. Chief marketing officer Kim Jae-don said Sample House is a space where customers can directly experience brand value that is difficult to convey online, and that the company is putting effort into customer contact rather than sales. He added that second and third flagship stores are under consideration, including in regions outside Tokyo. [ 1 , 2 ]
The opening is the first of three planned offline locations. eBay Japan plans a so-called mega popup in Harajuku in November where K-beauty products can be tried and bought, followed by a flagship store of about 2,500 square metres (756 pyeong) in front of Harajuku Station. Yonhap described the flagship as planned for next year, while Maeil Business said it would come in or after the second quarter of next year. [ 1 , 2 ]
Maeil Business reported that eBay Japan has previously taken part in large K-pop and K-beauty events including MAMA Awards and KCON, and held the Mega Cosme Land beauty festival in Tokyo in 2024 and last year, each drawing about 20,000 visitors. It also reported that the expanded Qoo10 Live Studio covers 155 square metres with an 11-metre LED screen, has run 116 broadcasts since opening in May, and recorded a maximum of 920 million yen (about 8 billion won) in revenue and one million views in a single broadcast. Anua sold 110,000 units in one hour, and about 90 percent of live-commerce revenue comes from K-brands, the outlet reported. [ 2 ]
Почему это важно
The space is a test of whether offline experience can feed online sales in Japan, where eBay Japan says most shopping still happens in stores. For K-beauty brands with little recognition in Japan, it offers a route to consumer feedback and reviews that the company can then use in online marketing. The planned Harajuku popup and flagship store indicate the operator intends to keep expanding its offline footprint beyond Tokyo's Shibuya district.
Ключевые факты
- eBay Japan opened Sample House, described as its first permanent offline experience space, in Shibuya, Tokyo on Oct. 1, and announced it on Oct. 6. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The space occupies two floors covering about 120 pyeong and carries products from roughly 100 brands, of which about 90 percent are K-beauty items, according to Yonhap. [ 1 ]
- Visitors pick seven samples free of charge and are asked to write a review in the Qoo10 Japan app within one month. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Participating brands include Anua, Medicube and COSRX, and the line-up changes every three months under a season system. [ 1 , 2 ]
- eBay Japan expects up to 700 visitors a day and 20,000 a month; Yonhap reported that two weeks of reservations were already fully booked. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The company plans a K-beauty Mega Popup in Harajuku in November and a flagship store of about 2,500 square metres (756 pyeong) in front of Harajuku Station next year. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Chief marketing officer Kim Jae-don said the space is meant to let customers experience brand value that is hard to convey online, and that it focuses on customer contact rather than sales. [ 1 , 2 ]
Подтверждено несколькими источниками
- eBay Japan, the operator of Qoo10 Japan, opened the Sample House K-beauty experience space in Shibuya, Tokyo, on Oct. 1. [ 1 , 2 ]
- About 100 brands are featured and visitors can take seven samples for free, with a review requested afterwards. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Daily and monthly visitor capacity is around 700 and 20,000 respectively. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Anua, Medicube and COSRX are among the participating K-beauty brands, and the product line-up rotates every three months. [ 1 , 2 ]
- A Mega Popup is planned for Harajuku in November, followed by a roughly 2,500-square-metre flagship store near Harajuku Station next year. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Kim Jae-don, eBay Japan's chief marketing officer, said the space is intended to let customers experience brand value that is difficult to deliver online. [ 1 , 2 ]
Пока неясно
- Whether the opening date is Sept. 30 or Oct. 1. Yonhap's text says the space opened on the 1st and that a pre-opening event for invited guests was held on the 30th of last month; Maeil Business gives only Oct. 1.
- Live-commerce figures, including 116 broadcasts, a maximum of 920 million yen (about 8 billion won) in revenue from a single broadcast, one million views, Anua's 110,000 units sold in an hour and K-brands' roughly 90 percent share of live-commerce revenue. These figures appear only in Maeil Business and are attributed to the company without independent confirmation.
- Qoo10 Japan's member base of 30 million, the 71 percent share of members in their teens to thirties, and the claim that e-commerce is only 10 percent of the Japanese market. These appear only in Yonhap's article and are the company's or a single outlet's characterisation.
- How many samples are distributed per quarter (about 500,000) and the exact timing of the flagship store, given only as next year by Yonhap and after the second quarter of next year by Maeil Business. The quarterly sample figure is a single-source claim and the two outlets describe the flagship timing differently.
Что пишут местные СМИ
Хронология, местное время
- Qoo10 Japan's new live-commerce studio opens; it has since run 116 broadcasts, according to Maeil Business. [ 2 ]
- eBay Japan holds a pre-opening event in Shibuya for invited guests ahead of the official launch, Yonhap reports. [ 1 ]
- Sample House opens in Shibuya, Tokyo, on two floors of about 120 pyeong. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Yonhap publishes its report on the opening and the planned Harajuku expansion. [ 1 ]
- Maeil Business publishes its report, including live-commerce figures and the three-base offline plan. [ 2 ]
- A K-beauty Mega Popup is scheduled to open in Harajuku, where products can be tried and bought. [ 1 , 2 ]
- eBay Japan plans a flagship store of about 2,500 square metres (756 pyeong) in front of Harajuku Station, which Maeil Business says will come after the second quarter. [ 1 , 2 ]