Ecommerce Platform
Mirai Gaia is a multilingual publishing x CGM x e-commerce platform that my company licenses to corporations in Japan.
Currently adding functionality to accept online orders for pre-order goods and would love to get your feed back.
Some of you have played with this before at figure.fm. This screenshot however shows how pre-orders would be displayed.
Lets say you add two items to your cart. One item is in stock and the other is a pre-order item. Shipping would be calculated based on your shipping preferences (SAL/EMS/ETC) and the total cost + shipping is displayed under "Items available for immediate delivery."
This amount will be deducted from your Paypal or credit card just before the item is shipped.
The pre-order item will go into your pre-order list. The item is reserved for you and when the item becomes in stock, a mail informing you of the cost of the item + shipping cost will be sent to you. You will be provided with a way to authorize the payment.
As you may be ordering many pre-order items, they will stack up and be displayed in your Order History tab of your Account Management settings. Items that are released in the same month will be automatically combined so that you save on shipping.
I know that Hobby Search gives you the functionality to manually combine orders but I'm not sure if you really need that functionality - do tell me what the use case would be.
Sellers tend to buy figures in a huge batch - they pay upfront for the figures or when it arrives at their warehouse. Understandably, they want to cover the costs of the figures as soon as possible so cant hold items for months to wait for future releases to arrive in the warehouse.
For this reason, they will want to send you your stuff asap and generally wont want to let you combine an order thats released in January with an item released in March.
Once a figure becomes in stock, if none of your other pre-orders are being released in the same month, you will be sent a payment request or if you have established a Paypal Billing Agreement or have a credit card registered with a client using Mirai Gaia, payment will be deducted just before the parcel is sent out.
You will still be able to cancel any orders as long as they are not in stock. If users continuously order and cancel (I mean really going over the top) then they will be banned and will not be able to make any more purchases.
Mirai Gaia will initially accept Paypal orders for folks overseas and credit card integration will follow after.
Folks in Japan can pay by Daibiki (COD - Cash On Delivery) or Ginkou Furikomi (Bank Transfer).
Please note that not all of my clients will provide multiple shipping options and some of them may choose not to allow cancellations.
This is the current Order History screen that you can play with if you order the test products on figure.fm.
Here you will be able to see the status of each product and soon it will show pre-orders and their release date too.
Have a read through the above and lemme know if this is the flow that you expect and if not tell me what to change.
From my time as Website Manager at Amazon, I know their Order Pipeline well but rather than build it similar to Amazon, I want your feedback as a consumer who regularly buys from Japan. Many brand names that you are familiar with will be using Mirai Gaia. If you like figures, anime, apparel then the likelihood that you will buy from one of my clients is extremely high ^^;
Also, registered users on Mirai Gaia will be able to use the platform to upload and sell their products - then have payment settled by Paypal. You could even set up your own figure/anime shop on figure.fm for example.
Out of all the online shopping sites that you use to get stuff from Japan, which in your mind has the best user experience and which has the worst.
Look forward to your feedback ^o^
If you are interested in reading about life in Japan, seeing photos taken daily around Tokyo, like Japanese subculture (anime, manga, figures, Dollfies) then you may want to start delving into the Japan or Figure categories for a start or have a gander at all photo articles.
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http://moemoekyun.wordpress.com
Do want mirai figma !!
Student
http://nendogamer.wordpress.com/
So it will sort of look like EBAY but "BETTER SERVICE" if i'm not mistaken. The layout itself is neat and seamless and as per screenshot, it's user friendly too. I'm not too sure about this right but does hobby seach ship to the philippines. There have been some online shops that have stopped shipping to the philippines. I do hope this can also showcase jlist,play-asia and hlj since i do my shopping with them often.
Student, Otaku, She-Geek(Sheek lol)
http://meimi132.wordpress.com/
HLJ is my fave, though Otacute is brilliant. Great service and great priced shipping. And freebies so far! :woop:
IT Crowd
It would be really good to be able to pre-order stuff released in different months and have them shipped together to save on shipping. I'd even pre-pay for the privelege. Maybe have a 2 month time limit so that if say I wanted something from November and something from January I could pre-pay for the lot when the earliest item becomes available.
Your shopping cart above is really easy to read and understand.
Student
http://heleth.wordpress.com
I usually frequent HLJ and HobbySearch. Out of those two I find I had a better experience with HobbySearch.
Compared to HLJ, HobbySearch process my orders quicker where as HLJ requires somewhat a day to be processed but the downside of HobbySearch is that shipping is not included when you make the order so sometime when I received their shipping notification, I get the shock of my life.
Canceling of orders in HobbySearch quite a hassle as you'll would require to send them a email for the cancellation request thus in this aspect, HLJ is superior.
One thing that keeps me hooked onto HobbySearch is the point system which benefits frequent buyers. CDJapan is also a good example with their coupon system. Getting discount coupons for hitting a certain quota and when it's your birthday xD
Anyway the feature to be able to define a different dispatch address is great!! Helps a lot when I'm buying stuff for other people.
Saber's Knight of One
http://www.ultima-i.com
I agree with everything Elefenoa pointed out. I like to use HobbySearch over HLJ, but the shipping cost can be killer and cancellation does require a little work on the buyer's part.
0_0 Wait a minute..
What stuff will be offered here? It feels somewhat like a outsourcing facility for various figurines.
Probably you might want to consider those limited productions, including your merchandise :D. But i'll strongly suggest trying to get some e-commerce for some Dollfie stuff *coughVolkscough*.
At least i won't have to go through Yahoo! Japan Auctions and get ridiculous prices for say.. a Tamaki for 261 000JPY?
Of course i also frequent at Tokyohunter's blog to see what rarities appear.
Otherwise i'll order mostly from HobbySearch, then HobbyLandJapan and then Play-asia.
Of course i do want to maintain a complete selection of figmas. :D
IT Crowd
Sorry for double post, but wanted to mention I get most of my figures from HLJ since I can ship by SAL instead of EMS. A points system like Hobby Search would sweeten the deal though :)
mahou kishi
http://www.animedia.com.mx
I will become more poor, but happy otaku :D
Sysadmin
http://coolandspicy.net
Being able to combine orders is the main reason I shop at Hobby Search. For folks outside of Japan, shipping can be quite expensive and being able to combine a month's worth of orders into one package can save a good deal of money.
I would not purchase from a Japanese online shop that did not offer the ability to hold items for at least a few weeks.
Draftsman Graduated, Environment & Interior Design Student
http://www.flickr.com/photos/manuelriosg/
Mmmm... Only for Japan UK and USA??? mmm... Sad...
Student
http://www.tabetaiii.wordpress.com
I use both HLJ and HobbySearch. I've never had any problems with HLJ, ordering system is user friendly. But i find HobbySearch better due to receiving points from purchasing the products, cheaper prices than HLJ. I found HobbySearch harder to get use to than HLJ.
The ecommerce platform looks really user friendly/simple.
I think it would be a great idea to charge a minimal amount of money just to hold some items that are not in stock? Unless that would not cover the costs of storage.
That's my 2 cents worth, hope that helped!
Student
http://www.tabetaiii.wordpress.com
Ah wasn't clear
Charge the client money if they would like to wait for their pre-ordered items to be shipped together with in-stock items.
NEET
http://austrianotaku.com/
Oh interesting. Looking at those screenhots up there makes we wonder if there will be a "Display in another currency" option?
I buy stuff from Japanese shops from time to time. Hobbysearch has the best system in my opinion. The worst by far is the one from HLJ. You can't just browse randomly there. @_@
But I prefer European shops (if there prices are fair) because of one thing:
Value added taxes! We have have to pay them if something worth more than ~25€ is shipped to us from none EU countries. Oh and those are not only a few Euros, we are speaking about +20% in Austria, +19% in Germany here!
IT-Architect, Virtualization and Storage lover, WebDesign and coding
http://www.milkdrop.de/
Yep i agree here.... the VAT quite hurt.
I still order a lot at Nihonju or other shops when i miss a pre-order there. :/
So far i havent found a more resonable shipping option then SAL registered, which is still with insurance but takes 2-3 weeks.
The fun part about the VAT also is, that once your item worth jumps over the 22 Eur (in germany it's 22, least the toll gus told me that), they include the price of the shipping and THEN add the 19% ... really mean if you ordered speedy EMS then which alone can be 17 Eur.
So it ends up with 17Eur shipping + 30 Eur (2 figmas maybe) = 47 Eur + 19% VAT = 56,40 Eur - for 2 figmas!!
Sometimes this really really hurts, even if i forget the pain once i get home with them. ^^;
Germany or Europe in general yet lacks a good distro for up-to-date figures and merchandise from Japan.
I don't want the stuff 10 months later... so yea... i'm in for the pain.
NEET
http://austrianotaku.com/
Yah it's around 22€ but seems like they allow some extra Euros or have outdated currency converters. ^^;
Archonia has good prices sometimes, but they get the stuff months later.
Experiment volunteer for social dysfunctionality
http://coffeebugg.blogspot.com/
From what you're describing, the system is quite similar to that of HLJ's. you might have trouble if you allow users to combine orders and have them shipped by the time the last pre-order is made available. The longer an in-stock item is held in storage, the more the retailer has that's possible income just sitting on the shelves.
From the buyer's stand point it'll be good though, as we the buyers can schedule our items for shipment. However, as pre-orders go, release dates aren't always set. So any item that's packaged with a delayed pre-order item also gets delayed.
This should be interesting though. I'm guessing this might become as an alternative for those of us outside of Japan to be able to purchase goods that are only available in Japan.
Student
That will be a cool feature! Can't wait until credit card is accepted for overseas purchase!
Fresh Diploma Grad... enlisted.. Cpl soon I hope...
http://splifearts.com
How about other for other countries? what if someone from other country wants to license the product?
Dance Trooper: DCX-001 O.D.E. (Order of the Dancing Empire)
http://dannychoo.com.my
Great features to ease the process of ordering from multiple Japan online stores ^o^b
Is opening store on Figure.fm only entitle to retailers in Japan? How much will the cost be? Since my company couldn't afford USD$50,000 for Mirai Gaia platform license.
Is the feedback you wanted only limited to Japan online store? How about other international site? I seldom purchase straight from over retailers since I have ways of parallel import ^^;
.
US Navy Sailor
http://punynari.wordpress.com/
Like many of the above posters, even living in Japan, sometimes it's just easier to buy from HobbySearchJapan (HLJ, Amazon Japan, J-List, Volks USA, HLJ trustable too). They have always come through on my orders and they are trustable with preorders. Just got my Yami-chan smooth dakimakura X2 the other day (my brother says). And yes...they are smooth....
Ahem, this looks like a great system your setting up here. I like the option of being able to easily drop preorders though generally I wouldn't do so. But you never know when some life altering family emergency might come up.
Also, I like the ability to sell via paypal to members of DC. Wouldn't become a outright scalper but it would make it easier for me to potentially recover my figure expenditures while helping out DC members at the same time. Wouldn't become a store though. ^^;
Wonder which of my daughters would look best in the DC Maid outfit.... ^_^
IT specialist for application development, Business Process Manager
http://www.lukisblog.de
I like it... But instead of letting me know, that I don't have to pay for preorders NOW, I would like to know WHEN I have to pay for it. I think once they are in stock or shipped. But that's what I would replace the current message with.
Informatics(ComSci-ish) student/self-taught graphic designer and illustrator
http://picchar.cerestia.net
I really like the clean and simple layout. I do have some questions ^_^
For the shopping cart, will changing the options open up a new window/tab or will it be an overlay (Ajax maybe)? For the account page (where orders are listed): If I order multiple products of different types within one purchase/order, how will that be displayed?
part time illustrationist, doll clothing seamstress
http://puppy52art.com/
so exciting! ^O^ I ordered most frequently from HLJ, I haven't really had problems with them yet but I have read and occassional complain or 2 sometimes ^^; I like that HLJ allow SAL shipping :) When I get EMS from buying from USA (example volks USA) I tend to get dinged quite badly ^^; sometimes can cost as much as much or more than the item o_o;
part time illustrationist, doll clothing seamstress
http://puppy52art.com/
PS: I'm curious tho, is the e-commerce able to limit the number of items to be bought or pre-ordered? Example the sellers are only able to aquire say 100 of the items, but there's 189 people who pre-ordered, or try to buy the item. Would there be a "preorder closed" when the limit of the numbers the seller is able to get (100) is reached?
Wage Slave
I tend to order stuff from Japan from either Amazon which is convenient but expensive (particularly with shipping) and benippon.com which I find has good service and is simple to use.
Student and full-time otaku
Wow, looks nice. Soon I'll only need one website for all my otaku needs ^^
So far I've only shopped at HobbySearch and it was simple and easy; now that they've upgraded the site a bit it looks even better. But thus I can't really offer any comparison.
I'm not sure if I like the 'authorize payment' step separately though; nowadays when I (pre)order), I authorize the payment via creditcard by default. Having to confirm it later seems a bit awkward, but that's just my opinion.
Can't wait to see the story filled with goodies!
http://www.alternatesam.com
Personally, I don't really like HobbySearch because they only take cc and not paypal.
As for my other regular Japanese online retailer, HLJ, I totally can't stand the non-intuitive way of presenting a cart. I can't really choose to Checkout individual carts and ordering any big orders which I want to split into 2 is a big pain in the you-know-where. I really wish it will be more like a typical American online store where its really easy to choose some items and place it in an order and then something else into another order. Besides, the fact that its not an instant updating system means ordering from HLJ is kinda dicey at times.
Really like the idea of a figure store where members can hawk their stuff. I do have some stuff which I acquired but decided not to keep. Perhaps a 10% cut from all sales etc will justify your upkeep cost
Student
http://johndiew0107.wordpress.com/
I never ordered any figurines from overseas before cause I don't have a credit card ><
Pseudo-Graphic Designer, 触手 wrangler, H-Man
http://lightningsabre.blogspot.com/
Hmmm... I'm starting to get curious about how much warehouse space you're going to have now... Gonna rent a place? ^^; Some of us are hoping for better access to cheaper nendos and figmas and other figures from GSC & MaxFac, lol.
I'm sorta hoping that if two items that's only 2 or 3 weeks apart in release date can be shipped together, but I understand that some dates can be delayed.
Student, part-time slave
http://yakuri.wordpress.com/
I also wonder if this means there will be any kind of special deal that could lower prices a bit. I know stuff like figma can be dirty cheap, but when it adds up it's no joke, especially when you put shipping on top of that.
Student, Uncle & hopfully a good husband..
Wow...that will make my shopping experience easier...
Student, part-time slave
http://yakuri.wordpress.com/
So, we will be able to buy stuff from selected figure companies directly from DC, or it's an affiliation with other English online stores? will there be any companies that don't ship internationally? I don't care much if HS or HLJ are here since I can do my business in their own page (unless we as costumers/members get points or bonuses), but there are Japanese shops that sell online but not internationally and have no English website; I'm more interested on those.
It would be nice if some kind of point usage or benefits like Hobby Search was implemented, although personally HS's one is a moot point, since EMS shipping takes so much of your money.
I think combining order from two following months (ex: January and February) are a good option if the buyer compromises and pays in advance for the items that arrive to the warehouse on the first month (maybe agreeing beforehand to some contract that once payed he can't back off the transaction?). I wouldn't mind paying in advance if it meant I could save some dough on shipping.
Apprentice Baking & Pastry Chef
http://Ima-Monogatari.com/
Danny is saving the world, one application at a time!
Way to gooooo!
Student
http://cream77.deviantart.com/
Just ordered 3 figmas from Hobby search yesterday.
Danny, how would you address back-orders on the same platform?
I have to agree with the "pay in advance to combine orders" option, to let the buyer save on shipping costs. Paypal, though... YMMV.
CEO MIrai Inc
http://www.dannychoo.com/profile/eng/
How do you mean by back-orders? Previous orders?
Pre-U Student
http://wakuwakusuru.zeroclipse.net
Back-orders generally mean orders for items that are not in stock at the moment. Its something of a waiting list because you won't really know when the merchant/shop will restock that item. The merchant would have to "back-order" the item which is not in stock from their supplier.
I think that's what he means. HLJ has something of this sort.
Student, Software Engineer in the Making!!!
http://miettechan.wordpress.com/
I buy stuff primarily from Hobby Search and HLJ. I find Hobby Search more straight forward and easier to order from.
As far as order recombination I like it quite a lot. Take Alter's Exceed Nanoha as an example, she was delayed to December without order recombination I would had been sent a parcel with only her, and then another with the rest of the items I have preordered for that month separately. With order recombination I was able to combine that into one shipment reducing shipping costs.
However, if your ecommerce platform is smart enough to combine releases for a single month into one shipment, then I'm fine without it.
Scientist, unemployed.
http://fmphoenixhawk.livejournal.com
Very nice layout. I don't purchase from overseas because I am horrifically broke and unemployed. However, having said that, I think the interface will work, and, if you can change the currency displayed for the order, that would make the calculations easier for most people.
Otaku Graphic Designer
http://neoprolacus.spaces.live.com
I always order from online stores... :D
Wow Figma Mirai comes with Mirai no Mirai pilot? Can't wait...
Otaku Graphic Designer
http://neoprolacus.spaces.live.com
Currently my primary source being HS becasue of their fast processing of stuffs, unlike HLJ which may takes up to a week after an item's in stock... >,<
Now leaning to Otacute due to their excellent after service... :D
Student
http://geekorner.wordpress.com
Order combination is important. Could be with limitations, such as "Only in same month" or "Up to 3 weeks away", etc.
Another option that I have no idea why sites don't give to us: Let us pay for the item coming out in January, but tell you to combine it with the item coming out in March. This way you get the payment for items coming out in January in January, even if we want you to hold on to it slightly longer. Perhaps add a lil surcharge for the space it holds.
Also, if a seller doesn't allow cancellations, or only specific shipping options, that information should be BOLDED and everything. If I order something and find out it can't be cancelled without knowing so in advance, I'd be angry.
Of course, "No cancellations" can't truly be enforced... one can just go to their credit-card company and cancel the order through them.
CEO MIrai Inc
http://www.dannychoo.com/profile/eng/
How long would you be willing to have a paid item at the client in order to combine it with a future release?
初音ミク命
I generally order everything from HLJ and then use Goody Japan for their deputy service. I also use sal shipping just so I can save a little bit of money since it doesn't usually take that long to get here.
Graphic Arts Student
Sounds interesting, and convenient.
If it goes well I might use it quite a bit. That is of course once I have money to spend.
http://www.zonjineko.com
Looks really good so far.
My biggest issue with most online stores at the admin end of things is the lack of ability to store multiple addresses for billing or shipping and/or multiple credit card details like Amazon do. The common scenarios are wanting to send certain items (you know what I mean :) to home and others directly to work as I am mostly there all day.
Amazon does this superbly and makes that side of things very simple as does their simplified shipping costs structure. Even online stores from Apple don't allow this feature completely and it's very frustrating to have to re-type information you have already typed previously.
Anyway as you're not allowing credit cards outside of Japan atm, I guess this is a moot point :)
studying comp studies, dreamer but not really diligent ('~`)
http://bruneian-otaku.blogspot.com
Ooh we can buy figures/dollfies accessories now?
Web Developer / Stand Up Comic
http://facebook.com/anthonychodor
I've only been collecting for a little while now, so I haven't ordered anything directly from Japan yet. I like to support local shops where ever I can find them. The little gaming/comic shops in my area usually carry stuff for my other hobbies as well.
Doll Customiser, Web Designer, Shop Owner
http://pixelkitty.net
I buy stuff online from HLJ, HSJ and through some auction services every single week! I'd really like to be getting my orders through the one place for everything.
???Confused???
I'm one who likes to see and have the box in my hand to examine before I purchase, but it just takes long for that product to be released here...actually what I usually find helpful from other sites is a feed back page/user reviews to get an idea of what I might be getting into...
Student
I usually get my goodies from J-List and Hobby Search, nice service all round.
Student / Software Engineer
I really like the design you have for your store. So is it just figures and dolfie stuff that your selling?
student
http://listlessink.wordpress.com/
I don't tend to like buying stuff online. I really like the feeling of going into a store and looking for something you want, then finally finding it and buying it.
I do buy stuff online very occasionally though.
Tech Support Officer - Network Security Engineer
http://burugureibi.blogspot.com/
I buy online generally from places that i know that others order from and have a good track record
And i also buy online when the foreign exchange rate is more in Australia's favour ^^;
Mechanical Engineer/Traveling Kamen Rider/Dollfie Dream Hunter
http://tcwenterprise.com/wordpress/
Looks interesting, will most definitely give it a try when it goes live. I frequently visit HLJ and Hobby Search, Hobby Search is great with the fast order processing and the ability to register on email list for out of stock product when they become available again.
College Student
http://www.projectsaber.com
Great job on your e-commerce solution. I like its looks and feel more than HLJ and Hobby Search. The combining pre-orders shipping in the same month is a nice addition. I don't think there needs to be the functionally for users to manually combine orders.
IT TechGuy
http://starboykb.blogspot.com
Love to hear you going to let us buy direct from Figure.fm. I buy (mostly) gundam and figures once a month, like the above said, hope the listing are friendly like HLJ.
CEO MIrai Inc
http://www.dannychoo.com/profile/eng/
Thanks all for your feedback so far!
http://www.crefigz.com
E-commerce is the the ideal way for most people. It seems like more ppl are getting a hang of it compared to few years ago.
Student
http://asianmoviereviews.wordpress.com
so what happens if i want to change the quantity of a particular item, i.e. instead of 5 costumes i would like 8, or i would only like 3.
if i wanted to add more of the item, would i have to physically look for the item again and then go through the purchasing stages again. or if i wanted to have less of a particular item would i have to cancel the order and then re-order?
i haven't really bought things online much so, i cant really remember how its usually done in terms of "editing" the order made. i think usually once you buy an item you either have the option of not canceling or canceling for a fee depending on date of cancelation.
though im not sure if, in your order history screenshot, the items have been payed for or not (i.e. the difference in the status of the action - processing and cancel).
side question (sort of related)-
i have been interested for a while in building such a system (mirai gaia) and i have been using html css js, php and mysql as for the foundation of one that i am currently working on. i was wondering if you could point me to some resources (good books) that have been useful to you for designing such a system (related to any of the technologies above). one thing i'm trying to get my head around in particularly making modular code for css as well as browser testing
CEO MIrai Inc
http://www.dannychoo.com/profile/eng/
Good question - have you come across any stores that let you add quantities of the same item after you have checked out? If so let me know as I would like to have a look at implementation.
For now, we are going to have to get users to cancel their order and re-order with desired amount. Will add functionality to enable users to add or subtract items before they are shipped but that would be a low priority.
Pre-U Student
http://wakuwakusuru.zeroclipse.net
Will this work for addresses besides the US, UK and Japan? Because those options are the only 3 countries listed in the manage address section.
I've been away for a bit due to studies, but can anyone quickly explain what figure.fm is? Is it a site that we can buy stuff off of? Or just some sort of forum where everyone talks about figures?
http://www.alternatesam.com
As for the user marketplace, can we have a peer rating system so buyers can rate the sellers after the transaction has taken place? In terms of good/bad/neutral etc. Helps to build a community 'rating'
Elefenoa---pointed out a point system to keep customers coming back
Chun---pointed out the limit of preorder quota, preorder dateline closed
Jcpb---pointed out backorders restock
asianmoviereviews---pointed out change of quantity preorder
Many buyers---pointed out combination of orders
@Danny---you mention "Items that are released in the same month will be automatically combined so that you save on shipping" How are you going to do that for a buyer who has preorder consecutively 1 item each month for five months ??? Are you going to ship first 2 item for the first two month if you do allow combination ??? Or is there another way where you max it to 3 items for three consecutive months only eg: Jan, Feb and Mar regardless if it is release on Mar 30th or 31st and not Jan, Feb and May ?????
One more thing, Usually preorder price have a slight discount then the actual retail price. You might want to reflect on the preorder vs retail price after the preorder period is over.....and that in turn bring out the point that Chun pointed out follow by asianmoviereviews pointed out if he/she edited the quantity which brings about How many same items can a single person order ???? and what if that person cancel the order first then reorder the item with more quantity and becomes the backorder items ???? Sometimes buyers will make mistakes like this.....and if the e-commerce platform is live updating, the previous order will be gone. You might need to setup a sort of approval system.
Hope it be helpful to you.