18 Ways to Acquire New EC Customers: A 2026 Latest Guide to Strategies and Common Pitfalls for EC Malls vs. In-house EC

*This article is a reprint of an article posted on the official Finner website.
Click here for the original article:https://finner.co.jp/media/ec-new-customer-acquisition/

Finner Inc. supports store sales growth, focusing on EC malls such as Rakuten Ichiba, Amazon, Yahoo! Shopping, and Qoo10. In this article, we have compiled methods and strategies for acquiring new EC customers based on the know-how we have cultivated through our daily support operations.

"I want to increase new customers, but I don't know which measures to start with," "I'm running ads, but I'm not getting many new customers," "I want to know if there are differences in measures between EC malls and in-house EC"—aren't there many store owners who have these kinds of worries?

In this article, we will introduce a total of 18 specific methods, combining measures for EC malls and in-house EC. We also touch on common failure patterns and the priority of measures, so please read to the end if you like.

At Finner, we provide support from EC strategy formulation to the execution of measures based on proven know-how and experience. If you have concerns in the EC field, please feel free to consult us.
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What is EC new customer acquisition? Explaining its importance

EC new customer acquisition refers to connecting customers who have never purchased your products or services before to their first purchase. If you rely only on repeat sales from existing customers, sales will inevitably hit a ceiling due to natural customer attrition (churn, switching to competitors, lifestyle changes, etc.). To stabilize and grow your business, the continuous acquisition of new customers is essential.

The balance between new customer acquisition and existing customer retention (the 1:5 rule)

In the marketing world, the "1:5 rule," which states that "the cost of acquiring a new customer is five times the cost of retaining an existing customer," is well known.1:5 ruleIn other words, new acquisition is a very costly measure. That is why it is important to properly design which channel and which products to use to attract new customers, rather than spending advertising money blindly. Also, if you can nurture them into repeaters after acquiring new customers, your LTV (Lifetime Value) will increase, and the recovery speed of acquisition costs will also increase. Thinking of new acquisition and repeat measures as a set is the key to growing your EC business in the long term.

3 structural problems that stores that cannot acquire new customers easily fall into

In the course of our support for over 500 EC stores, we have realized that there are three common problem patterns for stores where new customers are not increasing.

With an understanding of these problems, let's look at specific measures from the next section.

Are you wondering where to start with new customer acquisition measures?
At Finner, we propose the optimal new customer acquisition measures after analyzing the current status of the store, from mall operation of Rakuten, Amazon, Yahoo!, and Qoo10 to in-house EC strategy. At a mid-sized local food manufacturer we supported, we achieved Rakuten YoY 268%, Amazon YoY 178%, and Yahoo! YoY 148% in the first year of support through strategy design across 3 malls (*company name undisclosed).
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8 measures to acquire new customers at EC malls

Measures to acquire new customers at EC malls are fundamentally different from in-house EC. Malls already have a large amount of traffic infrastructure in place, and users decide to purchase by searching and comparing within the mall.In other words, exposure within the mall (search ranking, ad display) and the conversion rate of product pages determine everything.We will explain the measures optimized for each mall.

① SEO measures on Rakuten Ichiba (suggest KW, directory ID optimization)

The first point of contact for new customers on Rakuten Ichiba isin-mall search (Rakuten SEO).When a user enters a keyword, your product is displayed at the top of the search results, allowing you to acquire new customers without spending advertising money. Specifically, we comprehensively investigate Rakuten suggest keywords and incorporate the target keywords into product names, catchphrases, and product descriptions in a natural way. Also, optimization of directory IDs (category registration) and tag IDs is important, which realizes search exposure in line with Rakuten's evaluation logic. Furthermore, since the number of reviews and evaluation scores also affect search rankings, it is effective to proceed in parallel with review acquisition measures. At Kowa Shoji, which handles the Korean cosmetics brand "THE SAEM" that we supported, as a result of optimizing Rakuten SEO (search flow) and designing and implementing major keywords,



store access from major keywords increased by more than 15 times.This is a good example of significantly increasing organic inflow without increasing advertising costs.⇒
15x access with Rakuten SEO measures! Design that generates profit even from products other than main ones (Kowa Shoji)

② Utilization of Rakuten RPP ads and TDA ads

RPP ads (Rakuten Promotion Platform)is a mechanism that allows you to display your products as ads in search results and product list pages within Rakuten Ichiba. It is very effective as an entrance for new customers to "see your products first." To achieve results with RPP ads, simply registering keywords is not enough. By deciding the priority of ad allocation in a matrix that combines the profit margin and search volume for each product, and by thoroughly setting excluded keywords, you can improve ROAS while reducing wasteful delivery. Also, by combining with TDA ads, which are display ads, you can expand your reach to potential customer segments. In our support cases, as a result of analyzing RMS data from over 20 perspectives and implementing an operation strategy based on potential keywords,



we have a track record of improving RPP ROAS by more than 2 times.We have.⇒
RPP ROAS improved by more than 2 times! The fact that we were given a detailed sales strategy at the proposal stage was the deciding factor for the order (NAPO)

③ Rakuten Super SALE and Event Measures

Large-scale events like the Rakuten Super SALE and Shopping Marathon are times when a massive number of new users who are not usually familiar with your store flow into Rakuten Ichiba. Since the total number of visits to Rakuten surges during event periods, it can be said that this is the perfect opportunity to acquire new customers.

The important thing is not to just "discount on the day of the event and be done with it."Designing advance notifications (email newsletters, LINE, banners) starting three weeks before the event, optimizing search applications, designing combinations of point multipliers and coupons, and adding event-specific keywords to RPP—designing a series of flows is the key to conquering the Super SALE.

At Trans-Far Co., Ltd., which we supported, we implemented measure designs starting from the Super SALE, and as a result,the following month's sales increased by approximately 6 times compared to the previous monthThis is a case where we started RPP operations from the timing of the Super SALE even in a situation with a short lead time, leading to results.
⇒ Following month's sales increased by approximately 6 times compared to the previous month, starting with Super SALE measures! (Trans-Far Co., Ltd.)

④ Amazon Sponsored Ads (SP, SB, and SD Ads)

In acquiring new customers on Amazon, the measure with the highest immediate effect isSponsored AdsSponsored Product Ads (SP Ads) display products in search results, Sponsored Brand Ads (SB Ads) expand awareness as a brand, and Sponsored Display Ads (SD Ads) can approach users who have viewed competitor products.

A common pitfall with Amazon ads is that "running ads" becomes the goal itself. Even if you continue operations while the ACoS (Advertising Cost of Sales) remains high, no profit will remain. In our support track record, through thorough analysis of search term reports and strengthening of negative keyword settings, there is a case ofa home appliance manufacturer that maintained sales via ads while improving ACoS from 42% to 19% (less than half)(*company name withheld). It is necessary to design a plan that protects profit margins while acquiring new customers through ads.

⑤ Amazon A+ Content and Product Page Optimization

To acquire new customers on Amazon, it is essential not only to create traffic to the page through ads but also to design the product page itself so that users "decide to purchase." In particular,A+ Content (Product Description Content)is a feature that allows you to appeal with rich visuals, such as brand stories, detailed usage experiences, and comparison tables.

For new customers who are learning about the brand for the first time, the amount of information and sense of reliability on the product detail page determine the purchase decision. By combining the enrichment of A+ content, review acquisition through Vine utilization, and SEO optimization of product names and search keywords, you can also cultivate a foundation for organic traffic that does not depend on advertising costs.

⑥ Yahoo! Shopping PR Option Ads and Super PayPay Festival Strategy

Compared to Rakuten and Amazon, Yahoo! Shopping has lower awareness, so from the perspective of a store operator, it holds the potential to acquire new customers at a relatively low cost as ahidden gem mall with less competitionIn particular, it has strong reach to thePayPay user base (PayPay economic zone)and a major feature is the ability to contact a user base different from that of Rakuten or Amazon.

PR Option Ads are Yahoo! Shopping's unique performance-based ads, where costs are incurred only when a product is sold. During event periods such as the Super PayPay Festival, combining purchase promotion measures that are highly compatible with PayPay balances increases the efficiency of new customer acquisition. As a point of caution, even if you copy measures that were successful on Rakuten directly to Yahoo!, the effects will be limited. It is necessary to design measures tailored to Yahoo!-specific user behavior characteristics.

⑦ Qoo10 Mega Discount Strategy and Ad Operations Utilizing QSM

Qoo10 is strong in Korean cosmetics, food, and beauty-related products, and is a mall where users with very high purchasing intent in specific genres gather.Mega Discount (the largest discount event held 4 times a year)is Qoo10's biggest customer attraction opportunity, and strategically participating at this timing holds the key to acquiring new customers.

The point of conquering the Mega Discount is "designing from 3 weeks before." You design a flow that encourages cart additions during time sales and then harvests purchases all at once during the actual Mega Discount. Also, it is important to visualize which products and which keywords should be concentrated on for ads through quantitative analysis utilizing QSM (Qoo10 Sales Manager). You must be careful, as if you do not also perform measures to raise the baseline for normal months, it will become an unstable sales structure dependent on the Mega Discount.

⑧ Maximizing Contact Opportunities with New Customers through Multi-Mall Expansion

While the user bases of each mall seem to overlap, in reality, they have "preferences" for the malls they use. Users who mainly use Rakuten, users who only look at Amazon, and users who only shop on Qoo10 are each different segments. In other words,opening stores in multiple malls means multiplying the total number of potential customers you can reach.

However, simply copying the same product page and the same measures to each mall will not yield results. The condition for successful multi-mall expansion is to separate measures after understanding the user characteristics and purchasing behavior of each mall. At a mid-sized supplement manufacturer we supported, through cross-support for the three malls of Rakuten, Amazon, and Qoo10, they grew from monthly sales of approximately 25 million yen to approximately 68 million yen (about 2.7 times) in two years since the start of support (*company name withheld).

10 Methods to Acquire New Customers through In-house EC and Cross-Channel Measures

When acquiring new customers through in-house EC (such as Shopify), there is no existing customer attraction infrastructure like a mall, so you need to create traffic from external sources from scratch. Also, cross-channel measures that combine malls like Rakuten and Amazon with social media and ads are effective in expanding reach to new customers. Below, we explain 10 major measures.

⑨ Listing Ads (Google and Yahoo!)

Listing ads displayed in Google and Yahoo! search results are a method that allows you to directly approach users who are "looking for a product right now." Because they reach users in a state of high purchasing intent, the CVR tends to be high, and many EC businesses utilize them as animmediate-effect new customer acquisition channelThe key to success is matching the keyword design that narrows down the target with the appeal content of the landing page (LP). Since advertising costs are incurred per click, it is necessary to prevent wasteful consumption by setting excluded keywords and periodically reviewing search term reports.

⑩ Meta Ads (Facebook/Instagram)

Meta ads (ads delivered on Facebook and Instagram) have the strength of being able to combinedetailed targeting functions and visual appealBecause you can utilize age, gender, interest, and behavioral data to deliver ads narrowed down to your company's target segment, it is particularly effective for reaching potential customer segments.

It is a measure that is particularly compatible with categories where visuals are directly linked to purchases, such as D2C brands, cosmetics, fashion, and food. By using different formats such as video ads, carousel ads, and collection ads, you can respond to users at different stages from awareness to purchase.

11. Google Shopping Ads

Google Shopping Ads are an ad format that displays product images, prices, and store names together at the top of search results. Because users can visually compare products, they have high appeal to users in the consideration stage, making them a highly compatible strategy for e-commerce sites. The quality of your product feed (registering product data to Google Merchant Center) significantly impacts results. You can increase display opportunities by keeping product titles, descriptions, prices, and inventory status up to date, and by performing feed optimization recommended by Google (such as setting appropriate categories and entering GTIN codes).

12. TikTok Ads and UGC (User-Generated Content) Utilization

TikTok is spreading rapidly, especially among the younger generation, and the purchasing behavior of 'discovering and buying products via TikTok' (TikTok sales) is now a trend that e-commerce operators cannot ignore. With integration into TikTok Shop, pathways for direct purchasing from videos are also being established. The characteristic of TikTok ads is that 'natural, unpolished videos' are effective. Rather than highly produced videos like those made by companies, UGC (real review videos that look like they were posted by users) tends to show higher response rates. We recommend starting with a small budget to conduct A/B testing to identify effective creatives before scaling up.

13. Influencer Marketing

Collaborating with influencers is a strategy to deliver products to new users who do not yet know your brand as a 'recommendation from a trusted third party.' It is particularly effective for new acquisition in the initial phase when your brand awareness is low, or for niche products. The condition for success is to select influencers by prioritizing

engagement rate and alignment with your target audience rather than the number of followers. In many cases, hiring multiple micro-influencers (10,000 to 100,000 followers) is more cost-effective than requesting a single post from a major influencer.

14. SEO and Content Marketing

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is a strategy for continuously increasing new traffic to your e-commerce site without incurring costs. SEO (Search Engine Optimization) If your site ranks high for purchase consideration keywords such as 'XX recommendation,' 'XX effect,' or 'how to choose XX,' you can continue to attract new users without spending on advertising. The disadvantage is that it takes time to see results. However, since traffic continues long-term once you achieve high rankings,

this is a strategy that stores aiming to break away from ad dependency must undertake. We recommend designing a flow where you start by using social media and newsletters to distribute content as information for existing customers, gradually accumulating SEO effects.

15. Affiliate Advertising

Affiliate advertising is a performance-based advertising model where rewards are generated only when a result (purchase, membership registration, etc.) occurs. Unlike listing ads where costs are incurred per click, costs only arise when sales are made, making it suitable for long-tail new customer acquisition. By registering with an ASP (Affiliate Service Provider) and having affiliates write introduction or comparison articles for your products, you can broaden the gateway for search traffic. However, because there is a risk of misleading advertising depending on the quality of the affiliate, it is necessary to establish guidelines from the perspective of the Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Act and the Act against Unjustifiable Premiums and Misleading Representations.

16. Coupons, First-Time Offers, and Trial Price Strategies

One of the most direct approaches to new customers is designing coupons and benefits that lower the hurdle for first-time purchases. Strategies such as '20% OFF for first-time customers only,' 'free shipping coupons,' or 'special trial size prices' have the effect of pushing new users who have not yet formed trust in the brand to make a purchase. The point to note is not to end with 'just a discount' when designing first-time benefits. By designing it as a set with a flow to lead to repeat purchases after the first purchase (thank-you emails, guidance flow to subscription purchases, second-purchase coupons), it leads to the recovery of new acquisition costs.

17. Reviews and Testimonials Acquisition Strategy

When new customers decide to purchase, reviews and testimonials from existing customers have a very significant influence. The role of reviews and testimonials is to resolve the 'anxiety of buying from an unknown brand.' Especially on e-commerce malls (Rakuten, Amazon), the number of reviews and evaluation scores directly affect search rankings, so proactive review acquisition strategies bring a double effect to new customer acquisition. We recommend selecting methods according to the mall, such as requesting reviews in follow-up emails after purchase (the optimal timing is 3-5 days after product arrival), utilizing Amazon's Vine program, or running review posting campaigns on Rakuten (such as gift certificate giveaways).

18. LINE Official Account x New Customer Guidance Strategy

LINE Official Accounts are often used as 'repeat strategies for existing customers,' but they can also be used for new customer acquisition. By encouraging LINE friend additions via QR codes or included materials after a purchase on an e-commerce mall and granting friend-addition benefits (coupons, points), you can capture new customers who purchased at the mall as your own LINE assets. Also, by utilizing LINE Ads, it is possible to reach similar audiences based on LINE's vast user data. LINE, which has a higher open rate than email, is a very effective channel as a re-approach strategy for new customers.

3 Common Patterns of Failure in New Customer Acquisition and How to Avoid Them

While many e-commerce operators are working on new customer acquisition, there are failure patterns we often see in our support field. By checking these before starting your strategy, you can save wasted costs and time.

Failure 1: The Assumption That 'Increasing Ad Spend Will Get New Customers'

Increasing ad spend does not necessarily mean new customers will increase. Even if traffic increases, if the CVR is low, it will not lead to purchases, and the CPA (Cost Per Acquisition) will worsen. Before increasing ads, it is important to first ensure that the product page is in a state that can lead new customers to purchase. Increasing ad spend while there are problems with the page is like pouring water into a bucket with a hole in it.

Failure 2: Implementing measures in isolation and failing to measure effectiveness

If you implement individual measures sporadically, such as "I just started RPP ads" or "I tried asking an influencer," you won't be able to grasp what is actually generating results. It is essential to design new customer acquisition measures by breaking down KPIs into "traffic, CVR, unit price, and LTV," and to track numerically which measures are contributing to the increase in new customers.

At NOL.dict LLC, which we supported, they moved away from ad-hoc measures and, as a result of essential KPI design and prioritizing tasks, their sales during peak seasons grew 2.3 times compared to the previous year, and their total annual sales grew 1.72 times year-on-year. They have told us that they have "acquired the judgment criteria to generate sales."
⇒ 2.3x peak season sales and 1.72x annual sales year-on-year! Building a reproducible operational structure (NOL.dict LLC)

Failure 3: Focusing only on new acquisition and failing to connect to repeat purchases

There are many cases where, despite acquiring new customers, they never purchase again because there is no follow-up. As mentioned at the beginning, the cost of acquiring new customers is five times higher than maintaining repeaters. In other words,nurturing new customers into repeaters is the only way to maximize the cost-effectiveness of new acquisition investmentis. Please design repeat measures in tandem with new acquisition, such as step emails after purchase, guidance to regular subscriptions, and sending coupons for the second purchase.

What is the priority of measures? Explaining "where to start" by phase

We have introduced 18 measures, but it is not realistic to implement them all at once. It is important to start with high-priority measures according to the phase of your business and your company's situation. Below, we introduce priority measures by monthly sales scale.

Immediately after opening/Launch phase (up to 3 million yen in monthly sales)

The most important thing in the launch phase is"to quickly acquire new customers and build a sales track record."At this stage, we prioritize measures with immediate effects over measures that take time, such as SEO and content marketing.

At ADWIN Co., Ltd., which we supported, they implemented overall strategy design and PDCA for sales promotion measures immediately after opening on Rakuten Ichiba, and as a result, compared to before our support,sales grew by approximately 2.5 times.Since then, they have also been able to build a system that they can operate themselves.
⇒ 2.5x sales with a vertical launch right after opening! Building a self-sustaining system (ADWIN Co., Ltd.)

Growth phase (3 million to 30 million yen in monthly sales)

Once you enter the growth phase, it is time to diversify your new customer acquisition channels while breaking away from dependence on advertising. Eliminating the structure of relying on one mall or one measure becomes the most important issue during this period.

Scale phase (30 million yen monthly sales and up)

When you reach the scale phase, theaccuracy and reproducibility of measuresbecome more important than the number of measures. You are required to make decisions to concentrate investment on measures with high ROI by numerically grasping which measures are acquiring how many new customers and at what cost.

Summary

So far, we have shared 18 ways to acquire new EC customers, categorized by EC mall and by your own EC site/cross-platform measures. Finally, let's review the key points.

Acquiring new customers does not yield results immediately, but by accumulating the right measures in the right order, it will steadily lead to results. We hope this article is helpful for new customer acquisition in your EC business.

Are you facing these challenges with new EC customer acquisition?
You are running RPP and SP ads, but new customers aren't increasing, and only advertising costs are rising.
You have tried various measures, but you don't know which ones are effective and cannot complete the PDCA cycle.
You haven't organized the differences between Rakuten, Amazon, and Yahoo!, and are just copying the same measures.
Even if you acquire new customers, they don't lead to repeat purchases, and LTV remains low without improvement.
Finner's Support Track Record
For a mid-sized regional food manufacturer we supported that operates across three malls—Rakuten, Amazon, and Yahoo!—we designed customer journeys for each mall and category and handled operations. As a result, within one year of starting support, they achieved 268% YoY for Rakuten, 178% YoY for Amazon, and 148% YoY for Yahoo! (*Company name withheld). This is a case where they finally chose Finner after working with multiple consulting firms.
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