In August 2018, Japan’s Kao Corporation started selling its Merries brand of disposable diapers in India, hoping to replicate the success it had with the products in China and expand its global presence.

Kao’s Merries brand generates more than ¥10 billion in sales annually and is the leading premium diaper brand in Japan, and the company is betting  that Indian consumers will have the same taste for premium diapers as its Chinese counterparts. Kao was one of the first companies to launch a premium diaper in China after it noticed Chinese tourists traveling to Japan buying them in bulk—a move that was followed by many of its competitors.

In recent years, Kao has increased its total online transcation volume 20-30% in recent years, thanks largely to the success of Merries. Meanwhile, in ndoensia the company continues to gain ground on local rivals.

A single Merries diaper costs two to three times that of a Unicharm diaper manufactured locally, as Kao exports such products from Japan to India. Kao has capitalized on Merries’ reputation for being  gentle to the skin, which is highly valued in many countr