Delivering "flavor" and "connections" to the world—a long-established okonomiyaki chain is developing markets through locally focused export support.Yukari Co., Ltd.

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

While we had been independently developing our export business, as we expanded our target countries, we began to feel challenges in obtaining local market information and conducting local sales promotion activities such as exhibiting at trade shows. In particular, in the countries we were considering entering, we felt that the practical hurdles, such as understanding market needs and building sales channels, were high, and that there were limits to what we could accomplish with our internal resources alone.

While comparing several trade support services, we were particularly drawn to STANDAGE's "Omakase Trade" service because it goes beyond mere administrative support, offering practical assistance such as exhibiting at trade shows and conducting on-site sales. It truly met our needs as a "on-the-ground partner," and we decided to implement it.

What exactly did it entail?

What we appreciate most about working with STANDAGE is their practical support, including exhibiting at trade shows overseas. For us, trade shows are the front line of developing new markets. Their comprehensive support, from exhibiting at local trade shows to arranging negotiations with buyers and providing feedback on market reactions, is a strength that other companies don't have.

Furthermore, the regular meetings and close communication with dedicated staff members allow us to always stay informed about the project's progress, which is reassuring. In particular, their suggestions regarding "which countries and regions our product is best suited for" provided a perspective we hadn't gained internally and gave us significant insights.

What effects have you seen since implementing it?

Since its introduction, our export operations have steadily expanded. Even in regions where it was previously difficult to enter the market, STANDAGE's support has enabled us to develop local sales channels and create customer touchpoints, and we are beginning to see tangible results.

The number of countries to which we currently export is expanding, and we expect growth in both sales and profits by leveraging STANDAGE's network and execution capabilities. We believe that by continuing these efforts, we will accelerate the development of new markets that we could not reach on our own.

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

Moving forward, we expect to see improvements in the "accuracy of matching products with markets" in order to generate even greater results. We believe that more in-depth analysis and suggestions regarding strategic decisions such as which products to launch in which regions will improve the accuracy of our decision-making.

Comment from Yukari Yamashita

Even companies with export experience often find themselves facing limitations in securing local resources and gathering information when expanding their target countries or venturing into new markets. We were in exactly that situation. "Omakase Trade" is a highly effective support service that solves these challenges.

For companies considering developing overseas sales channels, we can highly recommend them as a "reliable local partner."