Singapore – Media company Clozette and online marketplace Sift & Pick have announced a new partnership to allow Japanese merchants enter the Southeast Asian e-commerce scene through a one-stop e-commerce solution.

Entailed within the collaboration is the leverage of discovery shopping platform Shoppin’guu, which is operated by Cool/JP, another Clozette partnership with Cool Japan Fund, that is supported by Japan’s Ministry of Economics, Trade and Industry. Cool Japan Fund is a private equity fund focused on funding enterprises focusing on promoting Japanese products globally.

Along with Cool/JP’s growing editorial authority and Clozette’s rising number of partner influencers and creators, Clozette integrates its knowledge of content consumption behavior among millennial & Generation Z consumers to create a curated global e-commerce marketplace and physical retail store at Changi Airport in Singapore, alongside Sift & Pick’s e-commerce solutions, logistics experience,  and payment infrastructure development.

“Our special partnership with Sift & Pick allows us to offer merchants in Japan exciting market entry opportunities in SEA that were previously not possible. COVID-19 heightened global demand for increased digital touchpoints through social engagement solutions such as influencer marketing, snackable videos and livestream selling,” said Roger Yuen, founder  and chief executive officer at Clozette.

“As a pioneer in the social commerce space, we are uniquely placed to address the needs of today’s consumers given our proven proficiency in social storytelling, our extensive network and rich insights into the Southeast Asian market, having worked with over 300 global, international, and local brands over the past decade.” 

Roger Yuen, founder  and chief executive officer at Clozette

The new partnership between the two companies will see a close collaboration on  category development, supply chain, and fulfilment as well as data and influencer marketing, and social commerce, which seeks to help Japanese brands and sellers, especially small and medium enterprises (SMEs), gain collective resources and expertise of the alliance to face challenges specific to online retail in SEA.

“We are delighted to partner with Clozette to bring more Japanese brands into Southeast Asia. Adding to our carefully curated selection of fashion, beauty, lifestyle, and home and living products will provide our diverse customer base with a richer shopping experience. Shoppin’guu’s blend of storytelling is very well-suited to drawing out the heritage, high quality, and uniqueness of many Japanese brands that are often neglected, and we look forward to seeing how our collaboration will further delight shoppers with new brand discoveries on our marketplace,” added Cavin Poh, general manager at Sift & Pick.