こんにちは / Konnichiwa Japan!

In the season of spring where all things bloom, we said hello to our 21st Wolt country –  Japan!

Being our first country in the Asia-Pacific, this was an exciting milestone for us at Wolt! With one learning after another, our Japanese team (alongside our Expansion team) came together to build an incredible service tailored to our local customers.

And so, one of our first employees in Japan, Akira Shintaku, shares a few words with us on what it’s like launching a new country from scratch.

Why did you choose to join Wolt Japan? 

After experiencing marketing at big companies like Apple and UNIQLO, I started to think about wanting to build marketing from the scratch with one’s responsibilities. Also as a heavy user of UberEats and a Nordic culture lover, I really wanted to be part of launching this customer-centric & great quality food delivery service from Finland.

Team Wolt Japan

So tell us, what is it like launching a country like Japan from scratch?

Although Nordic culture is a trendy thing in Japan, Japan is a country with a long history of isolation from the abroad. It is not easy for foreign companies to enter the market and to be loved by the local customers. So we emphasised our focus on how Wolt could be seen as a “local service for local people”, from all the aspects such as the restaurant portfolio, support quality and the marketing communication. So far, I see great success with these strategies. 

Reflecting on your first few months at Wolt, what has been the highlight so far? 

Firstly, the people are awesome here. Each one of us works very hard to make things happen. And not only that, the people are very friendly and charming.  As I had been working for an American company for so long, the idea of cherishing ‘sustainability’ not only ‘scale’ was something I learned a lot. 

As we are still a small team, it means we have an opportunity to be very hands-on with various tasks. For example, I review each and every restaurant menu on Wolt. This is something I really enjoy as I am given the opportunity to add some imagination to it and then to see the immediate reaction from the users. I love what I do, the team, and the service. And I am passionate about growing Wolt Japan!

So whether you’re like Akira and wanting to build something from scratch, or you’re excited about a career at Wolt – We are hiring! Find an opening near you at www.wolt.com/jobs.