Have you heard of the app called LINE in Japan? Launched in 2011 to help people communicate after the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, LINE was designed to work over the Internet, avoiding damaged phone lines. It has become more than just a way to text or call. Today, LINE is the most popular social media app in Japan, combining many different services into one easy-to-use system. Users can send free messages, make voice and video calls, and enjoy features like shopping, payments, news, manga, games, and healthcare. This one-stop app continues to grow each year, providing a comprehensive and engaging experience.
With over 96 million monthly users in Japan, covering more than 77% of the population, LINE app is essential to daily life for many Japanese people. For foreign companies aiming to break into the Japanese market, using LINE app can be highly advantageous. The app’s widespread popularity in Japan comes from its vast array of services, enabling various customer engagement methods. LINE also offers business-specific features like Official Accounts and targeted advertising. Among other things, in the LINE app, you will also find Japanese influencers and KOL who operate chat groups. The LINE tools allow businesses to reach an engaged audience directly, establishing LINE as a powerful channel for digital marketing in Japan, especially for mass market,
Features of the LINE app
1. LINE CHAT
90M monthly active users
LINE Chat is a core feature of the LINE app. It allows users to send text messages, photos, videos, and voice messages, and supports both individual and group chats. The feature is enhanced with interactive elements like stickers and emojis. LINE Chat also integrates with other LINE services, including payment systems, games, and media sharing. This integration allows users to engage in different activities without leaving the app, such as making transactions, playing games, and reading news. This has earned LINE its title in Japan as a “super” app.
Business Idea: Businesses can enable one-to-one chat with customers via a LINE official account. Brands can also collaborate with Japanese Influencers and KOL on LINE, via their group chat communities.
2. LINE Stickers
85M monthly active users
LINE Stickers offer a wide range of choices, far more than other messaging apps like Messenger and Whatsapp. This is what sets LINE apart and makes it well-liked. LINE’s fun stickers and emojis bring conversations to life, letting people express feelings and personality with different animated and still images. Besides official LINE character stickers, creators can offer their own stickers for free or sell them in the LINE store, a place within the app where users can buy stickers and themes for their chats. With everything from adorable popular characters to celebrities to funny animations, LINE stickers add excitement and enjoyment to chatting with your LINE friends.
Business Idea: Create a set of custom stickers for your brand.
3. LINE NEWS
77M monthly active users
LINE NEWS updates users with the latest stories tailored to their likes, covering everything from headlines, hobbies and community news. This feature inside the app creates a personalised newsfeed, keeping users informed and interested. If you follow the LINE NEWS official account, you can get a LINE NEWS DIGEST messages four times a day, offering a quick update on the top news stories. Plus, by following the LINE NEWS Select official account, you can get news on chosen subjects, such as the newest trending desserts or what’s hot on social media.
Business Idea: Make a press release or publisher collaboration that will appear in LINE News
4. LINE VOOM
68M monthly active users
LINE VOOM is a feature within LINE that lets users connect through follows instead of direct friend connections, working much like social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook. Here, people can browse or share short videos, photos, and text updates.
LINE VOOM posts can be good for businesses because users can follow them in a more relaxed way. Unlike LINE official accounts, which send out message notifications with every announcement, LINE VOOM posts don’t notify users. This means businesses don’t have to stress about overwhelming their followers.
Business Idea: Make a press release or publisher collaboration that will appear in LINE News
5. LINE Pay
42M monthly active users
LINE Pay makes dealing with money easy inside the app, giving users a smooth and safe way to go cashless. Whether it’s paying bills, dividing expenses with LINE contacts, or buying things in stores, LINE Pay offers a handy and all-in-one option.
Business Idea: Allow customers to make LINE pay transactions on your website
6. LINE Manga
40M monthly active users
LINE Manga, run by LY corporation, is a digital manga and webtoon app with a vast collection of over 1.12 million works in various genres and styles, making it easy for readers to enjoy them on smartphones and tablets. The service features books from publishers and exclusive original titles with engaging stories and beautiful graphics, it stands as the top manga app in Japan.
Business Idea: Create a collaboration Manga with your brand.
7. LINE Shopping
35M monthly active users
LINE Shopping is the e-commerce part of the LINE app, where users can look through and compare more than 300 million products from over 230 retailers, making purchases directly within the app using LINE Pay. This function not only brings shopping into one place but also lets users compare prices and features of similar items from various retailers, and even earn LINE points in the process.
Business Idea: Create you page on LINE Shopping and offer coupon for discounts.
8. LINE Points
30M monthly active users
LINE Points is a rewards system in the LINE app that lets users earn points by doing different activities, like shopping, reading manga, watching videos and playing games, or using LINE Pay. These points can be spent using LINE Pay or exchanged for various services and products like LINE Stickers, LINE Gift, and LINE MUSIC. In a place where rewards programs are everywhere, LINE has effectively launched its own to encourage users to stay active and loyal within its ecosystem.
Business Idea: Start LINE points for your brand.
9. LINE Gift
30M users
LINE Gift simplifies gift-giving in the LINE app, enabling users to select from a wide range of virtual and physical items offered in Japan. Users can also send gifts directly via chat. This eliminates the need to ask for addresses or meet up, making it perfect for those living far apart. This handy feature is great for celebrating birthdays, special events, anniversaries, or simply showing appreciation to family, friends, or coworkers.
Business Idea: Create a brand LINE gift campaign
10. LINE Games
7M downloads
LINE has a variety of fun game apps, from simple puzzles to exciting adventure battle games. One of the top games is “Disney Tsum Tsum” (ディズニーツムツム), a puzzle game filled with many of the favourite Disney characters. It was the mobile game with the most monthly active users in 2024.
Business Idea: Create a brand collaboration game
11. LINE MUSIC
2.4M Subscribers
LINE MUSIC provides a subscription-based music streaming service, with access to a huge library of over 70 million songs and playlists. Users can also enjoy music videos and a karaoke feature for a fuller music experience. Though it might have fewer users compared to Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music Prime, LINE MUSIC offers unique options such as customising your LINE profile with background music or music videos, and choosing ringtones for LINE voice and video calls.
Business Idea: Music artists can add their tracks on LINE music. Brands can collaborate with Japanese podcasters.
12. LINE Doctor
LINE Doctor is a telemedicine service launched during the COVID-19 outbreak, available on the LINE app. It lets users set up appointments, have video call consultations, and pay for services all through the app.
This feature provides a convenient option for people who can’t make it to a hospital or want to avoid busy places while getting medical advice.
13. LINE Official accounts
Businesses can create a LINE Official Account for direct, interactive user communication. These verified accounts enable companies to reach out with updates and promotions by messaging. This is done via business chat rooms, push notifications, or LINE VOOM. Having an official LINE account helps businesses stay visible, engage customers, provide support, and build community and brand loyalty. Building fans on LINE can take a long time, and many businesses use on-location QR codes to boost fans.
Business Idea: To attract users to your LINE account, offer a coupon. This has worked well for many brand
14. LINE Ads
LINE Ads, LINE’s Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising service, enables businesses to create targeted and visually attractive ads to reach particular groups within the LINE user base.
Ad options range from display and video ads to sponsored stickers, appearing in various places like chat lists, LINE NEWS, LINE VOOM, LINE Manga, and LINE Shopping. This variety allows businesses to tailor their advertising campaigns. Whether promoting products, services, or events, LINE Ads offer a robust platform for boosting brand visibility and engaging users.
15. LINE Sales Promotion
Within LINE, businesses can launch targeted sales promotions, offering various incentives such as discounts & coupons, limited-time deals, special offers, contests, or LINE points. These sales promotion campaigns are designed to encourage user participation and allow data collection on purchasing behaviour for future analysis. This strategy boosts engagement and provides valuable insights into consumer preferences and trends.
16. LINE Promotion Stickers
The Promotion Stickers feature in LINE allows businesses to offer stickers to users for free or with certain conditions, like filling out a survey, adding LINE Official Accounts, or attending events, in exchange for an advertising fee.
These stickers become “used ads” as they’re employed in conversations among LINE users, spreading the character or brand’s presence among friends and family.
Companies can partner with popular or emerging LINE Creators for custom sticker designs, offering various plans to tailor these stickers for special promotions, product launches, or marketing efforts.
Conclusion
With 96 million users, 77% of Japan’s population and 86% of all social media users, LINE is a perfect place for global businesses to reach a wide Japanese audience. Many social media users in Japan, especially the older generation use only LINE, showing it’s important for reaching people not on other social media platforms. Using LINE stickers for fun marketing or LINE Ads for specific targeting can make a brand more visible, increase awareness, connect with customers, and build a loyal Japanese fan base. LINE keeps adding new features and trends, so it’s key for businesses to stay updated to stay ahead.
LINE is a great tool for targeting a mass audience and for companies with a physical location. However, for marketing products and services, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok can be more effective.
If you want to start a LINE Official account or advertise on the platform, JapanBuzz can help. We’re experts in Japanese digital marketing and advertising, and know how to make the most of LINE for your business. We’ll work with you to create effective strategies that meet your goals. Don’t hesitate to contact us to find out how we can help your brand expand or strengthen its presence on LINE.
