AOZORA COMPANY Unveils Transparency-Focused Used Car Sales Strategy
AOZORA COMPANY announced that its used car dealership "Ocean Design" maintained sales and improved gross profit margin by approximately 10 points month-over-month, even after revising vehicle sales prices in April 2026. This success is attributed to its "transparency-first" online sales strategy, which includes disclosing even minor scratches and dents.
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- 📰 Published: May 11, 2026 at 16:00
- 🔍 Collected: May 11, 2026 at 07:31
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AOZORA COMPANY announces that its used car dealership, "Ocean Design," has maintained sales and achieved an approximate 10-point improvement in gross profit margin month-over-month, following a review of vehicle sales prices conducted in April 2026. This achievement is a direct result of their successful "transparency-first" online sales strategy, which involves disclosing even minor scratches and dents.
Challenges and Background
In the used car market, revising appropriate pricing has become an industry-wide challenge due to fluctuating market conditions and rising procurement costs. Typically, price revisions carry the risk of decreasing sales volume. However, AOZORA COMPANY succeeded in enhancing profitability without reducing sales volume by fundamentally strengthening its online sales system concurrently with optimizing prices.
Initiatives
The key to maintaining sales was creating an online environment where customers could experience a virtual inspection similar to a physical one.
Specific initiatives include significantly increasing the number of listing photos per vehicle, deliberately photographing and publishing even small scratches and dents in addition to interior and exterior details. By shifting from a conventional policy of "showing only the good parts" to "showing areas of concern first," the company has enabled customers to accurately understand vehicle conditions before visiting the store. This transparency-focused approach has built higher customer trust and increased satisfaction with pricing.
As a result, sales have been maintained at the previous month's level, while the gross profit margin improved by approximately 10 points. The ratio of inquiries and successful contracts made online has also increased. The company will continue to focus on "creating an environment where customers can confidently choose used cars," further enhancing the quality of online information and aiming to be a used car dealership chosen for its quality and reliability of information, rather than price competition.
[Company Profile]
- Company Name: AOZORA COMPANY Inc.
- Representative: Takumi Takahashi
- Capital: 4 million JPY
- Location: 5243-1 Kurotori, Nishi-ku, Niigata-shi, Niigata, Japan
- Business Activities: Used car sales, Car rental, In-house loan (in-house installment sales), Towing service
- Official Website: https://aozoracompany.co.jp/
Challenges and Background
In the used car market, revising appropriate pricing has become an industry-wide challenge due to fluctuating market conditions and rising procurement costs. Typically, price revisions carry the risk of decreasing sales volume. However, AOZORA COMPANY succeeded in enhancing profitability without reducing sales volume by fundamentally strengthening its online sales system concurrently with optimizing prices.
Initiatives
The key to maintaining sales was creating an online environment where customers could experience a virtual inspection similar to a physical one.
Specific initiatives include significantly increasing the number of listing photos per vehicle, deliberately photographing and publishing even small scratches and dents in addition to interior and exterior details. By shifting from a conventional policy of "showing only the good parts" to "showing areas of concern first," the company has enabled customers to accurately understand vehicle conditions before visiting the store. This transparency-focused approach has built higher customer trust and increased satisfaction with pricing.
As a result, sales have been maintained at the previous month's level, while the gross profit margin improved by approximately 10 points. The ratio of inquiries and successful contracts made online has also increased. The company will continue to focus on "creating an environment where customers can confidently choose used cars," further enhancing the quality of online information and aiming to be a used car dealership chosen for its quality and reliability of information, rather than price competition.
[Company Profile]
- Company Name: AOZORA COMPANY Inc.
- Representative: Takumi Takahashi
- Capital: 4 million JPY
- Location: 5243-1 Kurotori, Nishi-ku, Niigata-shi, Niigata, Japan
- Business Activities: Used car sales, Car rental, In-house loan (in-house installment sales), Towing service
- Official Website: https://aozoracompany.co.jp/