New App Providing Easy Calculation of Global Shipping Costs Hopes to Boost Sales of Hida Furniture to Foreign Travelers
12:30 JST, February 21, 2024
GIFU — To boost sales of acclaimed Hida-brand wood furniture from Gifu Prefecture that is popular with foreign tourists, a local university and a logistics company have jointly developed an app that provides global shipping costs when users input basic information.
Foreign customers have balked at purchasing Hida furniture in the past due to shops being unable to inform them of shipping costs. It is hoped that such squandered sales opportunities will be prevented with the new app, developed by Asahi University in Mizuho, Gifu Prefecture, and Nohhi Logistics Co. in Gifu City.
The “Nohhi Yushutsu Soryo Shisan System” (Nohhi export cost estimation system) app provides a rough estimate of shipping costs, including for domestic overland shipping, international air shipping and transport within the destination country. The cost is calculated upon entering the product’s length, width, height and weight and the destination.
Estimates are made using publicly available data from major international freight companies, among others. The app provides two approximate shipping rates: one through Nohhi Logistics and another through general logistics services. The rates cover the cost of shipping from the store to the address provided by the shopper. They do not include customs duties. The app does not show costs for ocean freight as these rates can fluctuate significantly.
The university and the logistics firm have been conducting joint research on the potential for cross-border e-commerce in Gifu since 2016 as an industry-academia collaboration. The app’s development was a part of this effort, focusing on foreign tourists and aiming to support and promote local industry.
While the app can calculate transport costs of a range of items including knives, the two parties decided to focus its use on Hida furniture — popular with travelers from abroad but too cumbersome to buy as a souvenir to take home. The app has been provided free of charge to stores handling the products.
“As Hida-brand furniture is very popular among foreign tourists, a system that visualizes shipping costs on the spot with a smartphone has been eagerly awaited,” said Prof. Kyoko Yamori, an expert in information management at Asahi University’s Department of Business Administration. “We hope [this app] will help solve the problem of missed sales opportunities.”
Fuminori Hori, executive officer of Nohhi Logistics, said, “We hope our years of experience and initiatives in logistics are effectively applied to university research and contribute to the local economy.”
"Features" POPULAR ARTICLE
-
Famous Weeping Cherry Tree in Full Blossom in Fukushima Pref. Town
-
Traditional Japanese Knife Store in Tokyo’s Ningyocho District Dates to Edo Period
-
Tokyo Station’s Reconstructed Domes Bring Back Prestigious Tradition; Station Building Hotel Loved by Literary Giants
-
Diamond Fuji Observed in Shizuoka Pref., Attracting Photographers
-
Vows to be ‘Ambitious’ at Hokkaido Statue Hit 100,000; Famous Quote Attributed to Sapporo Agricultural College Professor Clark Lives On
JN ACCESS RANKING
- M6.0 Earthquake Hits Japan’s Tohoku Region; Fukushima, Iwate, Miyagi Prefectures Observe 4 on Japanese Scale With No Risk of Tsunami
- China Mutes Memorialization of Reformer Hu Yaobang; Memories Could Spark Critique of Xi Administration
- Shinkansen Services Suspended After Man ‘Searches for Phone’ on Tracks; Disruption Affects About 14,000 Passengers
- U.S. 7th Fleet officer Arrested on Suspicion of Stealing Sushi, Sashimi, Chicken at Kanagawa Shopping Mall; Suspect Caught Mid-Meal
- UNRWA Director Describes Catastrophic Destruction in Gaza; Says Relief Trucks Robbed, ‘People’s Hearts Destroyed’