Case Study: What Launching WT2, Plug Shave and MOVE IT in Japan Taught Us About Japanese Media

Short answer: Before Gloture worked on Product PR for other brands, it brought overseas gadgets to Japan itself: it imported them, sold them in Japan and handled their launch communication. Three of those launches are documented by independent Japanese media: the WT2 translator earbuds (2018), the Plug Shave smartphone shaver (2019 to 2023) and the MOVE IT smart dumbbell (2020). They show what Japanese editors and TV researchers needed before they wrote about an unfamiliar overseas product. This article records what Gloture did, what the public sources confirm, what they don't, and the lessons that shaped how Gloture works on Product PR today.

What these cases are, and what they are not

These were Gloture's own launches. Gloture was the Japanese seller of these products. They were not PR campaigns run for a client brand, and nothing here says how the products sold, because no sales figures were published.

That history is also why some older directory listings and articles describe Gloture as a gadget store or importer. They reflect that earlier business. Today, Gloture's service for other brands is Product PR in Japan, with hands-on Japan-side support available separately.

Each case below lists only what a public source confirms, with the link.

WT2 translator earbuds (2018): an overseas launch announced in Japanese

Context. WT2 is a pair of earbuds for real-time translation, developed by Timekettle in Shenzhen. It was new to Japan in 2018.

Gloture's role. Japanese seller. Impress's 家電 Watch reported on 11 September 2018 that Gloture would release the WT2 in Japan in mid-November at ¥24,880 excluding tax, that it could be ordered from Gloture's official page, and that Gloture had started recruiting Japanese resellers at the same time (家電 Watch, in Japanese).

What the source confirms. A Japanese launch announcement with a Japanese price, a release month and a way to buy it, covered as news by a major Japanese gadget site.

What it doesn't. It doesn't show sales, reseller sign-ups or other coverage.

The lesson. The announcement gave an editor everything needed to write a short news story without a follow-up: the price in yen with tax treatment stated, a release window and a purchase route in Japan. Overseas launch news without those three facts is much harder to publish in Japan.

Plug Shave (2019–2023): one product, three kinds of coverage

Context. Plug Shave is a very small electric shaver that plugs into a smartphone, power bank or car charger. In Japan it was a niche, novel product with an unclear category.

Gloture's role. Japanese seller.

What public sources confirm. The coverage came in three different forms:

• Product news, 2019. BCN+R published a product story on 29 October 2019. It described Gloture as a venture company that supports overseas gadget products entering the Japanese market, and listed the price (¥4,500 before tax) and Gloture's own online store (BCN+R, in Japanese). The article framed the product through everyday Japanese situations: touch-ups after arriving at the office, and business trips.
• TV, 2020. Yomiuri TV's 大阪ほんわかテレビ listed Plug Shave in its 11 December 2020 program notes, with 株式会社Gloture as the seller and a tax-inclusive price of ¥4,950 (Yomiuri TV, in Japanese).
• A writer's own review, 2023. On 1 March 2023, a Rocket News 24 writer reviewed a Plug Shave they had bought at a MODERN g pop-up store in Shinjuku (Rocket News 24, in Japanese). The article doesn't mention Gloture by name, and it wasn't based on a sample.

What they don't confirm. How many units sold, or whether any coverage changed sales.

The lessons.

• A small, unfamiliar product gets written about when the story is a scene, not a spec sheet: here, a shave after a commute or on a trip.
• TV program notes list the Japanese seller and a tax-inclusive price. A TV researcher needs a company in Japan to name and a price viewers can act on.
• A product that people can see and buy in person gives writers their own reason to try it. That review came from a purchase at a pop-up, not from a pitch.

MOVE IT smart dumbbell (2020): web media and the purchase link

Context. MOVE IT is a connected dumbbell with an app and short guided workouts.

Gloture's role. Japanese seller through its own online store.

What the source confirms. Moovoo published a feature on 7 January 2020 with the price (¥17,000 including tax), the weights, colors and app features, and a link to buy from Gloture's site. The page carries an affiliate disclosure: part of a sale through the link may go to the publisher (Moovoo, in Japanese).

What it doesn't. Whether the article produced sales.

The lesson. Many Japanese product sites earn affiliate revenue from purchase links. A product with a working Japanese purchase page, clear specs and good images is simply easier for them to feature. A product with no place to buy in Japan gives them nothing to link to.

What we took from these launches

1. Japanese facts come first. Yen price with tax treatment, release timing, where to buy, and who sells it in Japan. Editors, TV researchers and affiliate sites all asked for these before anything else.
2. Find the Japanese scene. The coverage that ran described the product in daily-life situations a Japanese reader recognizes, not the features a global launch led with.
3. Different media want different things. News sites need a complete announcement, TV needs a seller and price viewers can act on, and web reviewers need something to try and a page to link.
4. Coverage isn't the same as sales. None of the sources above report sales, and we don't either.

These lessons are why Gloture's Product PR starts with the Japanese product story and the basic facts, before any distribution or outreach. See How Product PR Works in Japan for the process, and What Happens After a Japanese Press Release Is Distributed? for how coverage tends to arrive.

Limitations of this record

• These are Gloture's own historical launches as a seller, not client case studies.
• Gloture's internal records list more TV and magazine features, but this article only cites coverage with a public, checkable source.
• Rocket News 24 doesn't name Gloture; it's included because it covers the same product, bought at a MODERN g pop-up.

Where Gloture fits

Today Gloture works the other way round: overseas consumer product brands remain the seller, and Gloture handles their Product PR in Japan. That covers the Japanese product story and press release, distribution, outreach to relevant Japanese media, follow-up and sample coordination, and a results report. Gloture's Product PR starts from US$2,500 (excl. applicable taxes). Media coverage isn't guaranteed.