Glossary entry

Japanese term or phrase:

制度品

English translation:

authorized retail items

Added to glossary by Shannon Morales
Nov 20, 2021 15:11
2 yrs ago
23 viewers *
Japanese term

制度品

Japanese to English Marketing Cosmetics, Beauty Sales channel
This appears in a sales results chart for a cosmetics company. It seems to describe a category of products sold to customers through retail stores that directly contract with the cosmetics manufacturer. I found a good explanation at the link below, but I can't find a suitable English term for it.

A few dictionaries online show "price-maintained merchandise," but that doesn't seem right. Thanks in advance for any help!

Reference: https://www.cosmeconcier.jp/w/515
Proposed translations (English)
5 authorized retailer channel
References
FYR

Discussion

JapanLegal Nov 21, 2021:
But just as a warning If this is for Shiseido/Tsuruha, they may have some internal glossary that insists on this terminology, however misguidedly (maybe because the original translator was relying on the same poor dictionary entries you found). If that is the case, perhaps you can encourage them to update the terminology to reflect more standard industry jargon.

https://corp.shiseido.com/en/ir/pdf/ir20110516_367.pdf

https://www.tsuruha-hd.com/content/images/ir/en/result/earni...

Proposed translations

7 hrs
Selected

authorized retailer channel

I know my translation doesn't literally refer to the product, but given that you mentioned that the context was a sales chart, I am assuming the other items are products sold through other sales channels?

The common English term for a retailer that contracts directly with a manufacturer to sell specialty or luxury items under strict conditions (the 制度 here), including price floors and display requirements, is "authorized dealer," "authorized reseller," or "authorized retailer." This system is often used in the luxury handbag market and other premium markets where the manufacturer wants to be selective about the retailers it selects so as to maintain a luxury image and prevent price competition from chipping away at the premium value of the product. Same with Apple products. Compare to drugstore brands that you can find at any old mom and pop store -- these are sold on the general wholesale market to anyone who is willing to pay the per-item price, and there are no restrictions placed on pricing, display quality, etc. at the retail level.

https://ecommerce-platforms.com/glossary/authorized-retailer
https://escholarship.org/content/qt46x0n36c/qt46x0n36c_noSpl...
(See other links below.)

If you must refer to the product itself, I think it's too awkward to do it without a phrase, something like "specialty items sold through authorized retailers" or "luxury cosmetics" (with a note that this refers only to items sold directly to consumers through authorized resellers). It's the department store brand (MAC) vs Lever 2000 concept.

I did find reference to the "price-maintained channel" on p. 16 of this publication, but honestly I think it was just a bad translation of the concept and should be changed. It's so literal that it cleaves the concept away from established lingo in the wholesale/retail world, so that a reader wouldn't really understand what they were trying to say. It's clear that this is not the terminology that would typically be used for this concept, and that this is not a type of sales channel that is unique to Japan. So I agree with you -- don't use this term, and don't reinvent the wheel. https://www.eu-japan.eu/sites/default/files/publications/doc...
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Thanks so much for your input! It's another brand besides Shiseido, but I will certainly urge them to use "authorized retail" items (or similar) instead of the awkward and misleading "price-maintained merchandise." Many thanks!"

Reference comments

22 hrs
Reference:

FYR

制度品 [price-maintained merchandise]

メーカー系列の販売会社、メーカーの支店・営業所あるいは特定の卸を代理店として、チェーン契約のある小売店で販売される化粧品を示す慣用的表現.制度品化粧品を小売店が販売するにはメーカーと販売契約を結ぶ必要があり、化粧品は消費者に対してカウンセリング販売(対面販売)される.契約書には対面販売することや一定金額ごとに支払われるリベート率、返品のさいの条件などが含まれる.システムとしては、契約した化粧品会社のコーナー制度、美容部員制度、消費者組織を大きな特徴とする.コーナー制度は小売店のスペースの一部をメーカーが占有するもので、立地条件や規模に適応した、効率的な陳列や販売、美容相談を行うほか販促ツールなどの費用の一部をメーカーが負担することが多い.美容部員制度はメーカーごとに設けられたコーナーで、化粧品会社から派遣される美容部員が消費者からの相談に応じたり、小売店に対して商品説明や技術指導をしたりする.消費者組織はメーカーによって独自の名称があり、会員誌発行やポイント制度などの特典を設けて愛用者拡大に有効に機能している.(坂本一民)
https://www.sccj-ifscc.com/library/glossary_detail/889
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