Zozo

Zozo, Inc. is a Japanese e-commerce company specializing in fashion retail, founded in 1998 by Yusaku Maezawa. Initially launched as an online shop for imported CDs and records, the company shifted its focus to apparel and launched the fashion e-commerce site ZOZOTOWN in 2004, which grew to become the largest of its kind in Japan. Headquartered in Chiba, Japan, the company operates primarily through ZOZOTOWN, a platform that features products from over 9,000 brands to approximately 11.7 million active users as of 2022.

The company's business model encompasses several forms, including consignment sales where brands operate as tenants on ZOZOTOWN, outright purchases of products sold in Zozo's own shops, and sales of second-hand apparel through its ZOZOUSED service. In 2019, Zozo was acquired by Z Holdings (formerly Yahoo Japan Corporation) and subsequently integrated sales through Yahoo Shopping. A notable innovation was the ZOZOSUIT, a body-measuring device introduced in 2017 to provide data for custom-fit clothing, though production ceased in 2019. Following the acquisition, founder Yusaku Maezawa resigned, and Kotaro Sawada was appointed as the new President & CEO.

Zozo has also expanded its ecosystem with services like WEAR, a fashion-sharing app, and ZOZOSHOES, a platform for footwear. The company's strategy focuses on combining fashion with technology, as seen with the introduction of the ZOZOSUIT 2 and the AI-driven relaunch of its WEAR app. The business model includes direct sales, consignment commissions, B2B fulfillment services for partner brands, and advertising.

Keywords: e-commerce, online fashion retail, Japanese fashion, ZOZOTOWN, apparel marketplace, consignment sales, second-hand apparel, fashion technology, Yusaku Maezawa, Z Holdings, custom-fit clothing, WEAR app, online retail, Asian retail market, Japanese e-commerce