Top 5 Online Shopping apps in Japan you should know

Online shopping is becoming more and more popular because of its fast, simple and convenient features. Therefore, in Japan, what are the most well-known online shopping apps? In this article, we will introduce you to the top 5 online shopping apps you should know for online purchase in Japan.

Top 5 online shopping apps:
Amazon Japan:

Founded in the US in 1994, Amazon started out as an online bookstore and then diversified into products including media, electronics, apparel, furniture, food, toys, and jewelry. After expanding into many countries, including Japan, Amazon has become a global leader in e-commerce.

Rakuten:

Rakuten is a Japanese e-commerce and an online retail company. Founded in 1997, Rakuten operates a digital marketplace platform where brands can sell their products directly in a wide range of categories, from electronics to accessories; from home appliances to cosmetics; and many other categories.

Yahoo! Auctions Japan:

Yahoo! Auctions is a peer-to-peer auction e-commerce platform. This website allows people to sell their own items such as clothes, shoes and electronics to get the best price by having buyers bid against each other to get the item.

Yahoo! Shopping Japan:

Yahoo! Japan Shopping is also an e-commerce platform of Yahoo! Japan. The site offers a wide range of products including cosmetics, electronics, clothing, shoes, home appliances, furniture, decorations, and restaurant services.

Mercari:

Mercari is an app launched in 2013 that allows people to buy and sell their own products. There are many second-hand items posted everyday with cheaper prices, which can save a lot of money for its users.

Rakuma:

Rakuma is an e-commerce platform specializing in second-hand goods, which allows people to buy and sell their own items, clothing, electronics, toys, home appliances, and decorations. Rakuma also allows farmers and food manufacturers to sell their products right on the app.

How to add your bank account to a shopping app:

When using e-commerce apps in Japan, you can use two main payment methods, that is, bank account or gift card. However, not all applications have gift cards, so a bank account is still the most flexible method.

To connect your bank account with those apps, you just need to go to the 支払い関連 section, then enter all the necessary information including your full name, account number, bank name, etc. like the screenshot shown below.

Connect the card in 支払い関連

As for gift cards, currently this type of payment is popular on Amazon Japan. To reload your balance, buy a gift card at convenience stores, get the serial number by scratching off the black film on the back of the card and enter the number to top up.

Amazon Japan’s Gift card