Prior to the strengthening of the collaboration between Yahoo! JAPAN Shopping and the communication app, LINE, Yahoo Japan Corporation (hereinafter “Yahoo! JAPAN”) has started accepting applications for opening LINE Official Accounts from all the stores of Yahoo! JAPAN Shopping. The applications begin today.
LINE Official Account is a service for corporations that utilizes LINE used by approximately 88 million users*1. It allows companies and stores to communicate with their customers in the same way that users send and receive messages with their friends and acquaintances.
In the past, users of Yahoo! JAPAN Shopping were also able to ask questions about products to the stores, and could opt to receive email notifications about services and special offers from the stores. By linking LINE Official Account, we aim to further improve the communication experience between stores and users. For the stores, this means that they will have more contact with the users, and by being attentive to the users’ needs, they will be able to build ongoing relationships with users and expand sales opportunities. In our preliminary case study, the open rate of messages using LINE was about four times higher than that of the current Store Newsletter, an e-mail with special offers; thus the introduction of LINE Official Account is expected to be highly effective.
As for the linkage of LINE Official Account in Yahoo! JAPAN Shopping, we will add functions such as a referral slot for inquiries on the product page before purchase, and a referral for friend registration on the order procedure page at the time of purchase, by the end of the year. In addition, we will create new commerce experiences such as "chat commerce," a purchasing experience through chat, which can only be achieved through the collaboration between Yahoo! JAPAN and LINE Corporation.
This linkage is intended to increase the communication options between the stores and the users, and does not mandate the introduction of the LINE Official Account. Also, if the account is used within a certain number of messages, it can be opened and used free of charge*2. In the future, it will also be possible to operate the service from the "Store Creator Pro" tool for stores.
Based on the business integration between Z Holdings Corporation and LINE Corporation in March 2021, Yahoo! JAPAN and LINE Corporation, which are now both part of the same Group, will strengthen their cooperation in numerous services, based on the premise of improving various issues related to the safety and security of users and data governance. By enhancing the synergy effects of the collaboration, we will provide the best user experience to the people living in Japan and strive to solve social issues.
*1 Monthly active users, as of March 31, 2021.
*2 There are three pricing plans available for LINE Official Accounts, and can be started for free. For details please check the service introduction page for LINE Official Accounts. (Japanese only)
Unless otherwise specified, English-language documents are prepared solely for the convenience of non-Japanese speakers. If there is any inconsistency between the English-language documents and the Japanese-language documents, the Japanese-language documents will prevail.