Note: This article covers ebisumart, an e-commerce platform available only in Japan. This will not be relevant if you are not evaluating platforms for the Japanese market.
When considering building a new e-commerce site in Japan, ebisumart is one of the options that comes up. ebisumart is a cloud-based e-commerce platform that is particularly well-suited for building sites for mid-to-large-scale businesses.
This article clearly explains ebisumart's characteristics, features, and the benefits and drawbacks of adopting it. It also introduces points of comparison with Shopify, a platform that has been gaining attention in recent years.
Characteristics of ebisumart
ebisumart is a cloud-based e-commerce platform offered by Interfactory Inc.
While it is a fully cloud-based SaaS solution, it is characterized by a level of freedom comparable to traditional package-based e-commerce systems. Combining flexible customizability with high extensibility, it has been adopted by many domestic companies as an e-commerce platform that can accommodate a wide variety of industries and business models, including B2C, B2B, omnichannel, and marketplace formats.
ebisumart's Main Features
ebisumart comes standard with the features necessary for running an e-commerce site. In addition, it also includes features that enable more advanced e-commerce operations.
Centralized Management of Products, Inventory, and Orders
ebisumart's admin dashboard allows centralized management of product registration, inventory adjustment, and order management. Even when you have multiple sales channels, it also supports inventory synchronization and real-time updates.
A Wide Variety of Payment Options
In addition to major payment methods such as credit cards, deferred payment, Amazon Pay, and Rakuten Pay, there is also a wide range of payment options for B2B use, including invoice-based payment and quote-based transactions.
Customizable CMS Functionality
It comes with a CMS that allows editing at the HTML, CSS, and JavaScript level. This makes it possible to implement highly flexible designs and dynamic content, and it can also integrate with external CMS platforms via API.
Multi-Channel Support
It has integration features with e-commerce marketplaces such as Amazon and Rakuten, allowing you to manage your own site and external marketplaces together. It's also possible to synchronize inventory with in-store POS registers and integrate with marketing tools to perform customer analysis.
ebisumart's Pricing
ebisumart mainly offers three different pricing plans.
- Usage-based plan: Fluctuates according to sales. Suited for startups and businesses with variable conditions.
- Fixed-rate plan: A fixed monthly amount enables stable operation. Easy to manage your budget.
- Revenue-share plan: You pay a fixed percentage of sales. Effective if you want to keep initial costs down.
| Plan Name | Usage-Based Plan | Fixed-Rate Plan | Revenue-Share Plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Characteristics | Monthly costs fluctuate based on site traffic | Monthly fee is fixed | Fees are charged as a fixed percentage of sales |
| Initial construction cost | From ¥3 million | From ¥3 million | From ¥10 million |
| Monthly fee breakdown | ・Basic maintenance fee ・Custom feature maintenance fee ・Optional feature usage fee ・Traffic fee (variable) |
・Basic maintenance fee ・Custom feature maintenance fee ・Optional feature usage fee ・Traffic fee (fixed) |
From 2.5% of monthly sales |
Benefits of ebisumart
The biggest reason ebisumart is chosen is its high extensibility despite being cloud-based. Here, we also introduce other benefits of adopting ebisumart.
Always Up to Date With Regular Automatic Updates
Taking advantage of its SaaS format, security patches and feature improvements are continuously applied. The fact that the system is updated without additional cost even during operation is a major source of reassurance.
Flexible Integration With External Services via API
Integration with CDPs, marketing automation tools, and core business systems is also possible via API, allowing you to build an e-commerce foundation optimized for your company.
Points to Note When Adopting ebisumart
Even though ebisumart is feature-rich and excellent, it also has drawbacks, such as implementation cost and operational difficulty. Careful consideration is especially necessary for small-scale businesses.
Initial Costs Can Be a Burden for Small-Scale Stores
Because the initial and monthly fees are relatively high, the costs of both construction and operation may not be worthwhile for e-commerce businesses with smaller sales volumes.
Specialized Knowledge Is Required for Customization
As the flip side of its high flexibility, adding features or changing settings requires a certain amount of coding and specialized knowledge. If you don't have an engineer in-house, you'll need to take steps such as selecting a development partner.
Comparing ebisumart and Shopify
Let's compare ebisumart with Shopify, another cloud-based platform that has been gaining attention in recent years.
| Service Name | ebisumart | Shopify |
|---|---|---|
| Business scale it suits best | Mid-to-large-scale businesses | Small-to-large-scale businesses |
| Customizability | Very high (API/HTML available) | High (theme-based / Liquid language) |
| Multi-language support | Available as an option | Varies by theme (built-in support or paid apps) |
| Support | Extensive Japanese-language support | Japanese-language support available |
| Pricing structure | Initial fee required; usage-based or fixed | Monthly subscription |
ebisumart is well-suited for companies with more complex requirements, corporate needs, or a need for integration with legacy core systems, while Shopify's strengths lie in starting small and in D2C use cases.
Points to Consider When Evaluating ebisumart
To make your adoption of ebisumart successful, here are the points you should check before implementation.
1. Does It Match Your Company's E-Commerce Scale and Requirements?
Use criteria such as monthly sales, number of products, and the complexity of customer management to determine in advance whether you can make full use of ebisumart's features.
2. Integration Requirements With External Tools
You need to check whether integration via API is possible with systems you're already using, such as CRM, marketing automation, and warehouse management systems.
3. Establishing a Development and Operations Structure
Whether you handle post-implementation operations in-house or outsource them to a development partner will affect both cost and speed. Whether a solid implementation support structure is in place is also an important factor.
ebisumart Is an Ideal Platform for Mid-to-Large-Scale E-Commerce Sites
ebisumart is an e-commerce platform that combines flexible customizability with a robust cloud infrastructure. Thanks to its API and automatic update mechanisms, it can smoothly accommodate future growth. In particular, for companies considering a multi-featured build encompassing B2B, omnichannel, subscriptions, and membership programs, ebisumart is a very strong option.
If you want to start small, or want to lower your initial construction and operating costs, Shopify is a better fit. For more on building a site with Shopify, please see the article below.
