Note: This article covers futureshop, an e-commerce platform available only in Japan. This will not be relevant if you are not evaluating platforms for the Japanese market.
For anyone considering adopting futureshop to build and run an e-commerce site, this article thoroughly explains everything from an overview of futureshop to its main features and the pros and cons of adopting it.
This article also covers the pricing involved in using the service, along with case studies. If you are considering building an e-commerce site, please use this as a reference.
What Is futureshop?
Image source: futureshop
futureshop is a SaaS-based e-commerce platform for Japanese companies that has been in service since 2003.
Its distinguishing feature is the wide range of functionality built in as standard, including "Commerce Creator," which lets you easily and freely change your layout design by rearranging parts, as well as features that help not only with building an e-commerce site but also with driving traffic and boosting sales.
According to information published officially, stores using the service see sales growth of 153%, and one in six stores exceeds 100 million yen in annual sales, with numerous well-established Japanese companies among its adopters.
Source: from futureshop's downloadable materials
Main Features Available with futureshop
The features available with futureshop are as follows.
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Site design |
• Responsive support • Commerce Creator • Create/add column parts • Create/add bulleted-list parts • Create/add carousel parts • Layout function • Theme settings • Item management tag settings • Messaging feature, and more |
| Product management |
• Automatic product page generation • Design function • Image settings • Product reordering function • Priority display of in-stock products • Automatic breadcrumb display • Layout for variant products • Real-time inventory display • Cold shipping settings • Product tag function, and more |
| Order management |
• Order management • Status management • Sales management • Order data download • Bulk tracking-number upload function, and more |
| Shopping cart |
• Shopping cart function • Variant image display in cart • Cross-device function • Item count display in cart • Recommended product display • Gift wrapping/noshi settings • Preferred delivery date settings • Membership registration function • Multiple delivery address settings, and more |
| Member management |
• Member search • Bulk clinic registration/retrieval • Member tier function • Coupon issuance by member tier function • Point award rate change function • Automatic member tier determination function • Tier-up-on-purchase function • Review history • Order history • Point history, and more |
| Communication features |
• Email newsletter distribution function • LINE integration • LINE message distribution • MR/CRM system • Review posting • Review search function • Web customer service/web chat integration • Live commerce, and more |
| Product sales |
• Pre-order sales function • Pre-order product display • Expected stock function • Expected shipping/arrival dates • Bundle sales function • Discount settings function, and more |
| Promotion features |
• Points function • Coupon issuance function • Subscription function • Distribution-club sales function • First-time price/final price settings • Cross-border e-commerce • Google Ads integration • Instagram Shopping function, and more |
| Analytics function |
• Access analytics • Analytics reports |
| Physical store integration |
• Physical store inventory display • In-store pickup option • STAFF START integration • OMO/omnichannel, and more |
Because futureshop comes standard with such a wide range of functionality as shown above, you can smoothly carry out various initiatives aimed at repeat-customer acquisition and sales growth.
In addition, the reporting function enables comprehensive analysis covering customer acquisition, e-commerce site improvement, and repeat-purchase initiatives. From identifying bottlenecks to verifying the effectiveness of initiatives after implementation, it supports fast, smooth operations.
Benefits of Adopting futureshop
futureshop offers the following benefits.
- Layout and design can be easily changed with the parts system
- You can design a user flow that makes products easy to find
- Packed with everything from features essential for building and operating an e-commerce site to features useful for marketing
- Free learning programs and consulting are available
- You can also outsource e-commerce site construction and improvement to professionals
Each of the points listed above is explained in detail below.
Layout and Design Can Be Easily Changed with the Parts System
futureshop uses a parts system for site construction. Each element that makes up a page, such as product images and cart buttons, is managed as a "part," and you can easily add parts or change their placement via drag and drop.
Being able to update your site as needed to match store visits and sales conditions, even without specialized knowledge, is a major appeal.
You Can Design a User Flow That Makes Products Easy to Find
Another appeal of futureshop is that it lets you design a user flow that makes it easy for customers to find products. You can attach optional tags such as "free shipping" or "new arrival" to products, or register them under multiple categories, to create a setup that's easy to narrow down and search.
You can also display out-of-stock products lower in search results, always making it easy to find what you want among in-stock items. Using futureshop can also be expected to improve your cart abandonment rate.
Packed with Everything from Essential E-Commerce Features to Marketing-Boosting Features
futureshop offers a wide range of features necessary for building and operating an e-commerce site, including a "design function," "physical store inventory display function," "payment function," "product search function," and "pre-order sales function."
It also comes standard with a variety of features that help cultivate loyal customers, such as a live commerce function, subscription function, review function, and restock notification emails. This lets you consistently pursue everything from launching your e-commerce site, to growing sales through new customer acquisition, to stabilizing sales through cultivating loyal customers.
Free Learning Programs and Consulting Are Available
futureshop provides free, highly reproducible learning programs covering everything from e-commerce basics to the latest trends.
- Open seminars
- futureshop Academy: e-commerce courses exclusive to users
- futureshop Users Meetup: networking and study sessions available only to users
- E-Commerce Practice Group: group consulting
- Net Shop Dojo for futureshop: specialized courses on running your own e-commerce operation
"futureshop Academy," held exclusively for stores using futureshop, is a hands-on curriculum that resolves the "I don't know what to do" problem. It enjoys high user satisfaction and is held on a variety of themes throughout the year.
In addition to the above, free online consulting for boosting sales is also available. You can receive free advice toward solving your challenges from futureshop's experienced e-commerce consultants.
You Can Also Outsource E-Commerce Site Construction and Improvement to Professionals
As part of its customer support, futureshop certifies "futureshop Certified Meisters." A "futureshop Certified Meister" is a certified expert with an excellent track record of building e-commerce sites using futureshop. By introducing certified Meisters with the right expertise to match each business's particular challenges, futureshop supports stores' sales growth and business growth.
Drawbacks of futureshop
While futureshop is especially well regarded for its extensive functionality, it also has some drawbacks. Below, we explain the drawbacks of futureshop.
Usage Fees Tend to Be High
With futureshop, an initial setup fee is incurred in addition to the base fee under any plan. Pricing varies depending on the number of registered products, and the more products you have, the higher the cost.
For the least expensive plan, the initial setup fee is 22,000 yen and the monthly fee is 24,000 yen. For the most expensive plan, the initial setup fee is 52,000 yen and the monthly fee is 89,000 yen.
Furthermore, using options not included as standard incurs additional fees.
With other e-commerce carts such as Shopify, it's common to see setups with no initial fee and low monthly fees of just a few thousand yen. Even though its functionality is extensive, the relatively high usage fees are a major drawback of futureshop.
Support Hours Are Limited
futureshop offers two types of support, phone and email, but both are available only on weekdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. As a result, if a problem occurs at night or on weekends/holidays, you won't be able to get support, which could delay resolution.
If you want a support structure you can rely on at any time, it may be worth considering other services.
Fees for Using futureshop
The basic fees for using futureshop are as follows. Pricing varies depending on the number of products registered.
| Plan name | Standard | Gold | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maximum registered products | Up to 50 products | Up to 500 products | Up to 2,500 products | Up to 5,000 products | Up to 10,000 products | Up to 30,000 products |
| Initial setup fee | 22,000 yen | 22,000 yen | 27,000 yen | 27,000 yen | 52,000 yen | 52,000 yen |
| Monthly fee | 24,000 yen | 29,000 yen | 34,000 yen | 41,000 yen | 57,000 yen | 89,000 yen |
| Always-on SSL | Included as standard | Included as standard | Included as standard | Included as standard | Included as standard | Included as standard |
| Monthly data transfer cap | 2,500GB ※If monthly data transfer exceeds 2,500GB, you may be asked to discuss moving to the Gold plan |
2,500GB ※If monthly data transfer exceeds 2,500GB, you may be asked to discuss moving to the Gold plan |
2,500GB ※If monthly data transfer exceeds 2,500GB, you may be asked to discuss moving to the Gold plan |
2,500GB ※If monthly data transfer exceeds 2,500GB, you may be asked to discuss moving to the Gold plan |
2,500GB ※If monthly data transfer exceeds 2,500GB, you may be asked to discuss moving to the Gold plan |
2,500GB (overage: 26 yen/GB) |
(As of February 2025)
Source: from futureshop's downloadable materials
The Standard plan is available only to shops with fewer than 10,000 registered products. Even with fewer than 10,000 registered products, if monthly data transfer exceeds 2,500GB, you may be required to move to the Gold plan.
Also note that choosing options not included as standard, beyond those listed above, incurs additional fees.
Case Studies of futureshop Adoption
Below are case studies of companies that have adopted futureshop.
Hiyoko Company, Ltd.: 10x Growth in In-House E-Commerce Sales in 5 Years
Image source: Oe-no-Sato Natural Farm
Hiyoko Company, Ltd. founded a free-range egg farm and operates an e-commerce site called "Oe-no-Sato Natural Farm," which sells Tenbi Eggs, sweets, and processed products.
Previously, the company accepted subscription-course orders by phone and postcard, and faced challenges with the complexity of order processing and customer management. To address this, it adopted futureshop, which offers a subscription function along with a wide range of other features. This streamlined order processing and customer management for its subscription courses, and its in-house e-commerce site's sales have grown tenfold over the past five years.
Draft Co., Ltd.: Running Costs Cut to 1/30 or Less
Image source: DCOLLECTION
Draft Co., Ltd. runs "DCOLLECTION," a fashion e-commerce site targeting men aged 30 to 40. Having reached the limits of managing system administration, updates, and security measures in-house, the company migrated to futureshop. By using futureshop's wide range of features, it succeeded in cutting running costs to as little as one-thirtieth of before.
Itohkyuemon Co., Ltd.: Purchase Volume and Sales Quadrupled
Image source: Itohkyuemon
Itohkyuemon Co., Ltd. is based in Uji, Kyoto, and sells sweets made with Uji tea. It has operated its e-commerce site on futureshop since around 2015. After stepping up its advertising efforts, purchase volume and sales grew to roughly four times their previous levels, and ROAS improved to roughly three times its previous level. Adopting futureshop has also helped reduce staff working hours.
futureshop Is a SaaS E-Commerce Platform with Extensive Standard Functionality
futureshop is a SaaS-based e-commerce platform highly regarded for its extensive functionality. Because elements such as images and cart buttons can be arranged via drag and drop, you can build an e-commerce site even without specialized coding knowledge. It is also valued for its rich set of features necessary for running an e-commerce operation, along with free learning programs covering everything from e-commerce basics to the latest trends.
That said, its pricing is set higher than other e-commerce carts. After understanding both the benefits and drawbacks, consider whether adopting futureshop is right for you.
