The Japanese hand tool market size will reach US$1.634 billion in 2025.
During the Golden Week that just passed, sales of camping supplies and garden tools surged, and lawn mowers sold 160% more than last month.
The power tool accessories market is also expanding rapidly, with a compound annual growth rate expected to exceed 4.6% by 2034.
However, while orders are rising, many sellers’ return rates are also rising.
There is a hardware tool brand that used promotions to boost sales in the Japanese market.
As a result, the after-sales service collapsed: customer service asked back and forth “what model” and “how did it break”, and users were annoyed and directly left negative reviews; customer service who did not understand the tools regarded “cannot install” as “poor quality” and refunded one after another; when the products were returned and opened, most of them bought the wrong model or did not know how to use it, and there was nothing wrong with the product itself.
The root of the problem is not the product, but the customer service’s incompetence.
Japanese consumers have a characteristic: they do a lot of homework before buying things and ask very detailed questions.
For example, when buying a wrench, you will be asked, “Can this specification be used to screw XX type screws?” and “What is the material made of?”
If GM customer service can’t answer the question, the user will feel that this brand is unprofessional.
After Callnovo took over, it first changed the pre-sales process.
Japanese customer service no longer passively answers “how much” and “how many days will it take to arrive”, but actively helps users make choices.
The specific approach is to recommend models based on users’ real needs rather than letting users guess.
For example, if a user says “I want to repair a faucet,” customer service will ask what kind of faucet it is and how big the interface is, and then recommend the corresponding wrench or pliers.
When a user says “I want to change the tires on my car”, the customer service will recommend a cross wrench instead of a regular wrench.
This set of “shopping guide-style” services makes users feel that this brand is reliable.
The consultation conversion rate increased by about 35%, and returns due to incorrect selection dropped by nearly 60%.
The difference between the Japanese market and Europe and the United States is that European and American users may just buy one and try it out, and then return it if it doesn’t work.
Japanese users ask very detailed questions before buying, but if your customer service cannot answer the question, they will not make do with the purchase, but will leave directly.
Therefore, pre-sales service is not a “plus point” in the Japanese market, but a “must have”.
The unit price of hardware is high, and users are prone to regret after placing an order.
Especially when logistics is slow or out of stock, the risk of order return is highest.
Japanese users have little patience for logistics delays.
If the delivery is one day late, they will feel that “this store is unreliable.”
Many sellers wait for users to ask before replying, but by then the users are already unhappy.
Callnovo’s Japanese customer service team will take the initiative to do several things: users’ previous consultation records can be seen in Callnovo’s self-developed system, without users having to repeat them; if there are any abnormalities in logistics, the system will prompt customer service to notify users in advance instead of waiting for users to ask; when out of stock, compatible models can be found in the system and customer service will actively recommend them.
Users feel taken care of, and the chargeback rate naturally drops.
After this brand joined active contact, the chargeback rate during the waiting period dropped by about 35%.
This is the most testing link.
Users often only say “it’s not moving” and “the sound is wrong”, which is not enough information at all.
Japanese users are especially prone to this – they are less likely to take the initiative to describe faults and need guidance from customer service.
Callnovo helps brands establish a set of field-level information collection processes, which run on Callnovo’s self-developed system: customer service asks questions about the product model, fault symptoms, usage environment, and purchase channels all at once, and the system automatically verifies whether the information is complete, avoiding asking back and forth three times to annoy users.
At the same time, after-sales data is exported from the system by model and batch – it is clear at a glance which model has a high return rate and which accessories are prone to breakage.
Brands directly use this data to modify product instructions and packaging tips.
For example, it is found that the manual of a certain electric drill does not clearly write about “speed adjustment”. The user always thinks that it is broken, so he changes the manual.
If you find that the applicable screw specifications are not clearly marked on the packaging of a certain wrench, add a label.
After this process, the overall return rate dropped by nearly half.
After-sales service no longer takes the blame, but has become an intelligence source for product optimization.
Callnovo’s self-developed system not only records work orders, but turns every conversation into an analyzable data asset.
After the cooperation, the brand’s data improved significantly: the consultation conversion rate increased by 40%, the return rate dropped by nearly half, and the store score returned to above 4.5.
The person in charge of operations said: “I used to think that customer service was responsible for handling complaints, but now I find that good customer service can help us prevent a lot of returns before sales. Callnovo’s self-developed system has fixed the process, and newcomers can get started quickly.”
When Japanese hardware tools go overseas, product selection determines whether you can place an order, and after-sales service determines how far you can go.
Japanese consumers are indeed picky, but this also means that as long as your service is good, you can form a reputation moat.
If you are also working in the Japanese market and are troubled by language and after-sales issues, you might as well check yourself: Can your customer service help users choose the right model?
Can you proactively follow up on logistics abnormalities?
Can users be guided to describe the fault instead of just saying “it broke”?
Is there a tool like Callnovo’s self-developed system to run through these processes?
If you think through these four questions clearly, after-sales service will no longer be your shortcoming.
