Over 100 Companies Participate in a Practical Program on Country-Specific E-commerce Platforms and Strategic Design for Overseas Expansion
SeiRogai, Inc. participated as a lecturer in the pre-event online seminar titled “Understanding Country-Specific E-commerce Platforms and Strategic Design,” organized by JETRO (Japan External Trade Organization) as part of the E-commerce Academy: ASEAN Market Overseas Expansion Strategy Planning Program.
The seminar was held online on Tuesday, December 16, 2025, from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. (JST), and featured Rachel Leng, COO and Co-founder of SeiRogai, as the lecturer.
On the day of the seminar, more than 100 organizations registered to participate, including leading Japanese companies and public institutions with a strong interest in entering the ASEAN market and engaging in cross-border e-commerce. Based on a practical, real-world perspective, SeiRogai shared its insights on e-commerce strategies and platform utilization in the rapidly growing ASEAN market, while clearly outlining the structural differences between the ASEAN and Chinese markets.
A Practice-Oriented Seminar Realized Through Co-hosting with JETRO
The E-commerce Academy ASEAN Market Overseas Expansion Strategy Planning Program — covering e-commerce, cultural adaptation, and negotiation styles — is a program organized by JETRO to help Japanese companies address the challenges they face at each stage of overseas e-commerce expansion.
This seminar was positioned as a preliminary session ahead of the E-commerce Academy Strategy Planning Program scheduled for January 15 and 27, 2026 (January 15: Brand Building and Market-Specific Consumer Psychology; January 27: Cultural Adaptation and Negotiation Strategies for Achieving Results in ASEAN E-commerce Business).
Selected as the instructor company, SeiRogai led the seminar based on its strong track record in supporting the overseas expansion of numerous Japanese companies. SeiRogai has been consecutively certified as a partner in JETRO’s cross-border e-commerce support program and as a “Regional SME Overseas Expansion Promotion Partner” by Organization for Small & Medium Enterprises and Regional Innovation, JAPAN, which formed the foundation for its role in delivering this seminar.
In this program, participants will systematically learn, based on the expertise cultivated by SeiRogai, how to build brands that are chosen in local markets, covering e-commerce strategy, digital utilization, cultural adaptation, and negotiation skills. Through dialogue with the instructor and hands-on exercises, participants will practically acquire the ability to understand local needs and customer profiles, develop cultural adaptation and negotiation capabilities that lead to results in ASEAN e-commerce, and deepen their understanding of brand building and market-specific consumer psychology, with the aim of clarifying their own challenges and taking the next concrete step forward.
Seminar Topic: Designing E-commerce Strategies by Country and by Platform
The seminar began with an overview of the overall structure of the ASEAN market and the background behind the growth of e-commerce. Taking into account demographic trends and the characteristics of the digital environment, it was explained that while ASEAN represents a significant growth opportunity for Japanese companies, it is also a market where entry becomes highly challenging if country-specific differences are not fully understood. Beyond surface-level figures such as market size and growth rates, the session shared the fundamental assumptions that must be understood when formulating effective business strategies.
Building on this foundation, the seminar explained the positioning and roles of major e-commerce platforms across ASEAN countries from the perspective of the risks of viewing them in a uniform manner. Even within the same region, there are significant differences in consumer purchasing behavior and expectations, as well as in the nature of platforms and their intended use. The session emphasized the importance of carefully assessing country-specific assumptions and conditions when developing market entry strategies.
The seminar also addressed the Chinese market and cross-border e-commerce, raising issues around common misconceptions that companies tend to fall into when considering overseas e-commerce, as well as the perspectives that should be clarified at an early stage. In this context, Amazon was introduced not as a substitute for local e-commerce platforms, but as a channel that Japanese companies can leverage as an entry point for cross-border e-commerce when exploring expansion into ASEAN and Chinese markets. It was suggested that the responses and data obtained through cross-border sales can serve as valuable reference information for evaluating and shaping subsequent market expansion strategies.
At the end of the seminar, a Q&A session was held in which the instructor responded to participants’ individual interests and challenges, addressing key perspectives and points of attention that are critical when advancing overseas expansion. The discussion went beyond general theory, helping participants organize their thinking around the considerations needed to plan their next steps, and provided a valuable opportunity to deepen their understanding.
To deepen your understanding of the background behind the topics covered in the seminar, please also refer to the following articles.
☞ Benefits of Overseas Expansion for Japanese Companies (Japanese Article)
日本企業が海外進出をするメリット – SeiRogai Japan
☞ Southeast Asia as a New Business Frontier: Five Reasons to Focus on the ASEAN Market (Japanese Article)
東南アジアが切り開く新たなビジネスフロンティア〜東南アジア市場に注目すべき5つの理由 – SeiRogai Japan
Key Insights and Outcomes Gained from the Seminar
Through the seminar, many participants commented that it helped them organize their perspectives and ways of thinking when considering the ASEAN market and overseas e-commerce. Rather than being perceived as a session to learn specific techniques or know-how, it was received as an opportunity to understand the underlying assumptions to adopt and the order in which to think when planning overseas expansion. In fact, “100%” of respondents answered that the seminar was “very useful” or “useful,” indicating that its positioning as an introductory program was highly effective. This strong evaluation can be attributed to the persuasive explanations provided by SeiRogai, grounded in its track record of leading numerous successful cases in ASEAN market strategies.
The seminar was highly evaluated for organizing assumptions by country and by platform, and for presenting perspectives that directly inform practical decision-making.
Regarding comprehension, “97%” of participants responded that the content was either “very easy to understand” or “easy to understand,” confirming that the country- and platform-based structure, together with explanations supported by concrete examples, contributed significantly to improved understanding. Another key characteristic of the seminar was that participants with diverse backgrounds—ranging from companies interested in the ASEAN market, to those just beginning to consider overseas expansion, as well as companies already operating in certain markets—were able to share a common analytical perspective.
By organizing the differences within the ASEAN market and addressing common misconceptions about overseas e-commerce, the seminar helped establish a shared understanding among participants, which in turn contributed to improved comprehension.
In addition, during the Q&A session, many questions were raised that were closely aligned with each company’s stage of overseas expansion and industry, reflecting a strong interest in moving from the consideration phase toward the next stage of decision-making. The survey results also showed that “86%” of participants intend to apply the information gained from the seminar to their future work, indicating that the seminar effectively served as a foundation for advancing into subsequent strategy development and execution phases.
By presenting ways of thinking that can be applied to the next stage of decision-making and internal consideration, the seminar enabled participants to form a concrete picture of how the content could be applied in their own work.
The seminar served as a forum for building a shared understanding as a foundation for progressing to the upcoming courses focused on strategy formulation and practical implementation. For participants, it provided an opportunity to articulate their own challenges and areas of interest, and to prepare the groundwork for moving on to more concrete and detailed considerations in the next steps.
Next Step: Advancing to the Two-Part Strategy Planning Program for Deeper Practical Application
This seminar was conducted as an introductory session for considering e-commerce strategies in the ASEAN region. Building on the perspectives and issues clarified during the seminar, the next step is the “ASEAN Market Overseas Expansion Strategy Planning Program,” a two-part course (Registration Closed) that is scheduled to follow.
Link to JETRO Website: Event News (Japanese Article)
【ウェビナー】E-commerce Academy 戦略立案編 | イベント情報 – ジェトロ
JETRO Website: Eligibility and Application Requirements (Japanese Article) (Registration Closed)
This program addresses key themes essential for achieving results in the ASEAN market, including brand building, market-specific consumer understanding, and approaches to cultural adaptation and negotiation, with the objective of translating the knowledge gained in the seminar into practical business application. Through dialogue with the instructor and exercises, participants are expected to advance discussions tailored to their own company’s situation. The program is positioned as a practical phase that connects insights gained in the seminar from “understanding” to “strategy” and ultimately to “action.”
Course Content
(1) Brand Building and Market-Specific Consumer Psychology
Based on an understanding of brand storytelling rooted in local markets and consumer psychology, this session introduces brand-building approaches optimized for individual ASEAN countries. By analyzing both successful and unsuccessful cases, participants will learn how to build brands that cultivate long-term customer loyalty.
- Consumer insights across ASEAN countries, including trust, price sensitivity, and trend orientation
- Brand localization, including optimization of language, values, design, and advertising messages
- Differences in approaches for affluent segments versus mass markets, such as considerations around halal and vegan preferences
- Analysis of successful and unsuccessful case studies
(2) Cultural Adaptation and Negotiation Skills for Achieving Results in ASEAN E-commerce Business
Taking into account the cultural characteristics of ASEAN countries, this session focuses on acquiring skills to smoothly conduct discussions and negotiations with key players across the e-commerce value chain, including e-commerce buyers, platform operators, logistics providers, payment service providers, and consumers. Participants will also learn how to understand local consumer appeal points and apply them to their own product pages and promotional strategies.
- High-context and low-context cultures: characteristics of Southeast Asia and Japan
- Cross-cultural negotiation, including gaps with Japanese-style sales approaches, key negotiation points with platform operators, and practical negotiation examples
- Five principles for building trust in cross-cultural business contexts
Please note that the content listed is for reference only and may be adjusted depending on the final group of participants.
Registrations Obtained by SeiRogai for Overseas Expansion Support
In fiscal year 2025, SeiRogai was registered for the second consecutive year as both a JETRO “Cross-Border E-commerce Support Program Partner” (one of only 42 companies nationwide) and an SME Support Japan “Regional SME Overseas Expansion Promotion Partner” (one of only 136 organizations nationwide). Through these initiatives, SeiRogai has supported the overseas expansion of numerous Japanese companies.
These registrations reflect the recognition of SeiRogai’s overseas expansion support for both its practical effectiveness and reproducibility.
These certifications indicate that SeiRogai’s overseas expansion support has been externally validated by third parties for both its practical effectiveness and its reproducibility.
For Companies Considering Overseas Expansion and Entry into the ASEAN Market
Expanding into the ASEAN market and engaging in cross-border e-commerce is not simply about widening sales channels; it requires an integrated approach that encompasses market understanding, strategy design, cultural adaptation, and execution processes.
Through insights gained from numerous successful cases, SeiRogai has shared with many companies its perspectives on e-commerce strategies in the ASEAN market, how to approach country-specific platforms, and how to think about phased overseas expansion.
For companies that are interested in overseas expansion or entry into the ASEAN market but feel challenged by questions such as where to start, in what order to proceed, and what to examine at each stage, SeiRogai serves as a reliable partner that can provide hands-on, practical support.
Companies with specific challenges related to strategy design aligned with their overseas expansion phase, the use of e-commerce in the ASEAN market, or the consideration of cross-border sales are encouraged to consult with SeiRogai.
Contact
SeiRogai, Inc.
Address: Roppongi Denki Building 5F, 6-1-20 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo 106-0032, Japan
CEO & Founder: Samuel Yuen
COO & Co-Founder: Rachel Leng
Website: https://seirogai.jp
Tel: +81-3-4243-6243
Email: [email protected]
About SeiRogai, Inc.
SeiRogai is a Tokyo-based startup specializing in media production, advertising, branding, media technology, and business consultancy. Renowned for its diverse one-stop media production services, the company also offers strategic consulting services to businesses of all sizes. The team at SeiRogai, comprising seasoned experts from various industries, provides clients with a comprehensive perspective on their unique needs.
SeiRogai was selected as one of the top 15 companies among Tokyo’s selection of “Next Unicorn” startups by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. The firm continues to lead in media technology solutions with innovative ventures like SeiRogaiTV and Global Virtual Travel to redefine the landscape of immersive experiences.
Company Profile
Company Name: SeiRogai, Inc.
Head office: Roppongi Denki Building 5F, 6-1-20 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan, 106-0032
Representative Directors: Samuel Yuen, Rachel Leng
Establishment: 2019
Website: www.seirogai.com/
Primary Business Activities
- Media production services (including VR 360°technology)
- Marketing, advertising, PR, branding (including marketing planning/strategy formulation, brand development, image planning, product design, etc.)
- Online distribution services for TV programs and movies
- Overseas expansion support services (specialized services including market research, overseas expansion strategy/overseas market development support, startup support, etc.)
- Development, construction, and provision of VR distribution systems and DX digital platforms
