トヨクモ CEO Yamamoto Yuji (山本 裕次) said Japanese companies can mainstream SaaS through a non-sales-driven PLG strategy and emphasized simplicity, affordability and building customer trust as the conditions for winning in global markets. He said Japanese companies need to change how they sell in the internet age.
Sales Led Growth (SLG) was long the dominant model in Japan’s SaaS market, but トヨクモ has been growing rapidly by focusing on Product Led Growth (PLG), which wins customers through product value and ease of use. President and CEO Yamamoto Yuji (山本 裕次) said the company aims to popularize information services in a form that people can use as intuitively as everyday products, while pursuing opportunities in global markets.
As a means of achieving PLG, the company has adopted a policy of “not selling through people.” While providing thorough customer support, it does not make in-person visits or engage in aggressive sales. Instead, it seeks to expand usage over the long term by building trust through online information and content. The organization operates with an unusual balance, with approximately one-third devoted to development, roughly half to marketing and the remainder to corporate administration. Owned media and information tailored to customer needs are at the center of its activities.
As a performance indicator, the company has achieved ARR per person of more than ¥50 million and places emphasis on management decisions that prioritize maintaining productivity over the long term. Based on the current state of the Japanese market, it also outlined plans to step up overseas expansion around 2030 and target sales on the scale of ¥100 billion by 2040. The company is also considering building a group through M&A of high-quality products, including those of overseas companies.