The Odakyu Department Store, Tokyo’s iconic 16-level department store, is using smart technology to verify product authenticity as it expands into the Chinese market.
 
This comes through a deal with Taeltech, the safe-product ecosystem ensuring verifiable product authenticity to consumers in over 500 cities in China. Through Taeltech, Odakyu will provide the Chinese market with a wide variety of Japanese and international products, including accessories, fashion products and cosmetics.
 
The agreement allows the Japanese retailer to gain a foothold in the Chinese market through the Taeltech ecosystem. Counterfeit goods are an on-going issue in China, so each Odakyu product is protected with Taeltech’s smart packaging anti-counterfeit technology when sold through the Taeltech Marketplace.
 
Taeltech has also created a dedicated Odakyu Zone in its Marketplace, which will function as an extension of the department store experience for customers who have returned home. In the coming months, department store staff will hand out Marketplace loyalty cards to guide customers to the Odakyu Zone after leaving the physical store.
 
In addition, the Odakyu Department Store will give Taeltech promotional opportunities in prime locations within the department store, with special deals catered to Chinese tourists visiting Japan once inbound tourism accelerates again.
 
Those purchasing Tael protected Odakyu Department Store products can use their smartphones to verify authenticity while earning Taeltech loyalty points, called Shijifen, in the process.
 
“Odakyu Department Store has roughly 50 million visitors per year, a yearly revenue of nearly one billion US dollars and is directly connected to Shinjuku Station, the world’s busiest railway station,” said Shuji Kawate, business department general manager of Odakyu Department Store. “Considering the fact that most of our inbound tourism revenue is generated by Chinese tourists, we saw a unique business opportunity, as well as a potential to provide the best customer service, in this partnership with Chengan by catering to their continued needs, thus expanding the department store experience into China in the future. It is for this reason that we have chosen Chengan as our partner.”
 
This partnership follows multiple recent Taeltech developments with other Japanese companies, including Rakuten and MUFG.
 
“Not only does this partnership give Chinese consumers the opportunity to order high quality and verifiable authentic Odakyu Department Store products from their homes, in the future it also introduces the Tael Ecosystem to Chinese tourists within Japan, connecting our target market both domestically and internationally,” said Alex Busarov, Taeltech CEO. “With the majority of Japan’s overseas visitors hailing from China, this is a golden opportunity for both parties.”
 
The Odakyu Department Store is one of the largest in Asia and part of the conglomerate Odakyu Electric Railway Group, which connects Shinjuku, the largest shopping town in Japan, and Hakone, a popular tourist spot among foreigners. Due to its direct connection to the Shinjuku transportation hub, the department store is a landmark for inbound and outbound tourists and travellers.
 
Taeltech Marketplace provides consumers in China with verifiable authentic consumer goods through RFID, NFC and blockchain technology. Underpinned by an incentive system, Taeltech’s databank also helps brands generate consumer insights that enable them to build authentic relationships with these consumers. The ecosystem has more than 50,000 active users across every region in China.