How did the introduction of "Leave it to us" trading open the door to overseas expansion for seafood processing companies struggling with declining domestic demand?Ihara Suisan Co., Ltd.

Could you tell us what led you to introduce STANDAGE's automated trading service this time?

Our flagship product, "kazunoko" (herring roe), is an essential ingredient in Japan for special occasions such as New Year's and year-end gift-giving. However, along with the decline of these traditional customs, domestic consumption is decreasing year by year. The custom of giving and eating kazunoko during the New Year is fading, and recently, fewer and fewer people are making osechi ryori (traditional New Year's dishes) at home. Even when purchased at supermarkets and department stores, only very small amounts of kazunoko are often used.

Amidst these circumstances, we faced the significant challenge of declining domestic sales, and in discussions about how to secure sales going forward, we decided that we should seriously focus on overseas expansion, something we hadn't touched before.

Our encounter with STANDAGE began with a referral from our agent. When we shared our challenges with them, they proposed their "Leave it to us" trading service. The referral instilled confidence, and after several discussions, we were impressed by their ability to provide end-to-end support for trade procedures, on-site surveys, and shipping operations, which led us to decide to implement their service.

What exactly did it entail?

Although it's only been about three months since we implemented their service, STANDAGE's experienced staff have provided comprehensive support for local market research and sales negotiations. In particular, the fact that they consistently handle overseas sales and trade operations, areas where our company lacks expertise, is extremely reassuring. My honest impression is that they are highly specialized and I can entrust these tasks to them with complete confidence.

We regularly receive progress reports from the STANDAGE representative, and we feel that the project is progressing smoothly.

What results have you achieved since implementing it?

While full-scale shipping and sales are still in the early stages, our ultimate goal is to build a solid sales record. Our immediate aim is to increase our overseas sales, which are currently in the initial stages, to, for example, 10% of our total sales.

Going forward, we expect our overseas sales performance to steadily increase with STANADGE's support. We believe that seeing tangible results will allow us to truly understand the potential and success of our international expansion.

What kind of support do you expect from Omakase Trading in the future?

Our company has primarily focused on import operations, so we have some basic trade expertise. However, exporting is practically a completely new endeavor for us, and we've been hesitant to take the first step. In that respect, being able to engage in overseas expansion without allocating a significant amount of human resources through "Omakase Trade" is extremely helpful.

Going forward, we would like your continued support in generating concrete sales results through local sales activities and using those results to increase our overseas sales ratio. We believe that seeing sales figures will give us the confidence to continue moving forward within the company.

Comment from Mr. Katsuta of Ihara Fisheries

STANDAGE's "Leave it to us trading" service allows even companies with no experience in international trade to confidently venture into overseas markets. For companies like ours with limited human resources, it provides a sense of security as if we had an additional external sales representative, offering significant advantages in terms of supplementing our human resources.

For companies that are hesitant to take the first step towards overseas expansion, we strongly encourage you to take advantage of STANDAGE's "Leave it to us trading" service and challenge yourself in new markets.