B2B Buying Patterns In Japan
Introduction
SiteEngine, a digital marketing agency in Japan, surveyed their B2B clients and put together data on their buying patterns. They surveyed 208 companies across different sizes ranging from companies with less than 20 employees to over 1000 employees. The survey responses come from different industries from manufacturing to financial services. The survey responses provided insights into how they came across the supplier and where the buyers collected the necessary information to make a decision. The takeaways can help further build on your Japan go-to-market strategy.
Lead Channels
Understanding where leads come from is important when building out a go-to-market strategy. Based on the responses from SiteEngine’s survey, the most common channel buyers use to come across potential suppliers is searching on search engines. Since search engines still dominate as a lead channel, it’s important for companies to optimize for SEO so their solution is front and center when buyers are searching for new solutions. It is also important to understand the search engine platforms in Japan, which has unique nuances specific to the local market.
Searching on social media came in second when buyers are looking for new solutions. X (Twitter) is an important source of information, as Japan has the second most active users globally behind the United States. X (Twitter) is used commonly to share feedback on tools and platforms, especially in the tech community. Implementing a social media strategy can add a layer of robustness to the go-to-market strategy in Japan. Besides “Search on Social Media,” “Social Media Ads” and “Social Media Timeline” come in fifth and sixth, respectively. The impact of having a presence on social media cannot be understated. It may not directly translate to leads, but it helps with increasing awareness, as many potential buyers may be casually scrolling through the social media platform.
Other channels such as “Seminars/Webinars” and “Tradeshows/Events” are great for getting exposure. In-person events generally perform well, as business cards are a prevalent part of the Japanese business culture. In-person events are great for getting email addresses that could be nurtured into a warmer lead. If you’re having trouble collecting leads through online channels, exploring offline options could be a good way to increase awareness and engagement.
Conclusion
The B2B buyer pattern highlights the importance of ubiquitous channels such as Search, but it also highlights that some channels may be different in Japan. Social media and offline events may play a larger role than imagined. Including these initiatives can add more robustness to the Japan GTM strategy. As for information collecting, having a Japanese website and case studies is imperative to build social proof and gain the trust of the Japanese market. AI may change this landscape, but these patterns are very prevalent today. If you’d like to learn more about GTM in Japan, book a consultation here.

The most important information for buyers is case studies. Case studies are important since
The second main source of information is the official company website. Given that the official website is a key source of information,