Tokyo-based zakka and hardware store chain Tokyu Hands[J] is now running a campaign which gives you additional reward points by tweeting begging for something you want. The store chain is known for working very much on developing social marketing services including “Korekamo-Net[J]” that allows you to search their inventory of the item you wish to have by asking it on Twitter. (Hardware store chain Muji‘s Japan unit also joins Korekamo-Net.)
If you’d like to join Tokyu’s tweets begging campaign, follow @HandsNet[J] on Twitter and tweet the name of the item you wish to have followed by hashtag #HandsNet. HandsNet will give you back an answer and also give you reward points according to your tweet.
Yahoo Shopping[J], an e-commerce portal powered by Yahoo Japan, is also running “web-order gourmet championship, begging campaign” that allows you to win a prize of food item by tweeting about a theme (e.g. side dish) they announce every week.
Japan’s local unit of an UK-based women’s underwear manufacturer, Triumph International Japan[J] is also known for having set up the “begging” function on their e-commerce site, which allows a woman to e-mail her boyfriend(s) a begging for a lingerie item. If he(or they) complete an order by clicking the link in the e-mail received, she will be able to get the item. The company disclosed that 79% of all women’s beggings had reached the orders made by their boyfriends or husbands.
“Tweets begging” is now becoming an effective way to socialize online merchandising and to revitalize e-commerce industries in Japan.
See Also:
japan.internet.com: Will “tweets begging” let e-commerce grown up to “social commerce”? (posted by Tsukuru Kasahara of World Cafe) [J]
Masaru IKEDA
Some people pointed out on Twitter to us that the word “begging” is not a good English for this “Tweets Begging”, which is probably true without background.
The “begging” is a direct translation, comes from the original Japanese word “Onedari”, which is used for all of this type of campaigns. That was begun by a famous web marketing unit “Onedari Boys” few years ago. Onedari Boys, consists of 5-10 bloggers, has been often referred as a early stage success of blog marketing on Japanese web marketing news and books.
http://www.onedari.org/
Of course, “Onedari” is close to “Begging” but not 100% identical. It’s a little less serious and has slight funny impression, I think. There may be a better English word…