【朗報】DMM、カブトムシの販売開始ｗｗｗｗｗｗ
Breaking news reveals that DMM is now selling rhinoceros beetles, sparking a mix of surprise and laughter online, with comments like "Is there anything DMM *doesn't* do?!" and "How far will they expand?"
Yet, as these beetles are a popular summer staple for children, others welcome the move, seeing it as "helpful for summer research projects" and "a surprisingly clever strategy."
This new venture by DMM, known for its wide array of businesses, is attracting significant attention.
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DMM.com's Diversification Strategy
DMM.com is famously known for starting as an adult video rental business, but its subsequent astonishing diversification has established a unique presence in the business world. It has successively entered seemingly disparate fields such as FX, online games, English conversation, solar power generation, 3D printers, and even aquariums, railway car sales, and online betting for keirin and auto race. The background to this "jack-of-all-trades" strategy involves leveraging its existing customer base, actively cultivating new markets, diversifying risk by expanding its business portfolio, and ultimately enhancing corporate value. DMM's customer base has continuously expanded from its initial digital content users to finance, education, entertainment, and even B2B businesses. The sale of rhinoceros beetles can also be seen as part of this diversification strategy. As a quintessential summer tradition popular with children, rhinoceros beetles could serve as a new point of contact for DMM with families and the education market, which it hasn't directly approached before. Additionally, by handling highly seasonal products, DMM can create short-term revenue opportunities while adding new aspects like 'unpredictability' and 'approachability' to its brand image. This series of moves reflects DMM's corporate culture of constantly pursuing new value creation, unconstrained by existing business models.
Insect Business as a Seasonal Product
Insects like rhinoceros beetles and stag beetles are immensely popular in Japan as a quintessential summer tradition, especially among children. These insects have a clear demand period as "seasonal products," with sales concentrated primarily from early summer to mid-summer. Sales channels typically include pet shops, home centers, summer festival venues, and increasingly, online retail. A unique characteristic of the insect business is that, as live organisms, it requires a different distribution and management system compared to general merchandise. For instance, specialized knowledge is needed for breeding, and the health and quality management of the individual insects for sale are extremely important. Special packaging and temperature control are also essential to minimize stress during transport and avoid the risk of dead on arrival. DMM's entry into this market implies new competition for existing breeders and insect specialty stores. However, by utilizing DMM's large-scale platform and logistics infrastructure, there is also potential to establish new standards for insect sales. This could include stable supply of high-quality individuals, rapid nationwide delivery, and provision of detailed care information to purchasers. This may expand opportunities for people in regions where insects were previously difficult to obtain, potentially revitalizing the entire insect business.
Challenges and Opportunities of Live Animal Sales in E-commerce
Selling live animals through e-commerce presents unique challenges and significant opportunities that set it apart from standard merchandise sales. The biggest challenge lies in quality assurance and shipping risks when dealing with "live organisms." Specifically, these include stress to the animals during transit, susceptibility to temperature and humidity changes, and the worst-case scenario of "dead on arrival." To mitigate these, specialized packaging techniques (ensuring ventilation, use of temperature buffering materials), the use of express shipping, and pre-arrangement of delivery schedules with purchasers are essential. Furthermore, post-purchase support for care and a warranty system in case of an unforeseen event (dead on arrival guarantee or exchange) are crucial for maintaining customer satisfaction. For DMM's entry into this field, how it addresses these challenges will be key to its success.
On the other hand, online live animal sales offer tremendous opportunities. It becomes possible to deliver high-quality live animals to customers nationwide, overcoming geographical constraints. For enthusiasts specifically looking for certain types of insects or rare species, options expand dramatically. DMM's vast platform, logistics network, and customer support expertise can be powerful assets in overcoming these challenges and building a new distribution model. For example, through collaboration with DMM's education or entertainment businesses, there's potential to create added value unique to DMM, such as bundled sales of insect rearing kits or observation sets, or even offering virtual rearing experiences utilizing VR/AR technology. This could allow DMM to provide customers with a richer "experience" that goes beyond mere live animal sales.