Company Overview

Company Description

We are a holding company incorporated in the Cayman Islands with no material operations of its own. Linkage Cayman conducts its operations through the Operating Entities in Japan, Hong Kong, and mainland China. As a cross-border e-commerce integrated services provider headquartered in Japan, through the Operating Entities, we have developed a comprehensive service system comprised of two lines of business complementary to each other, including (i) cross-border sales and (ii) integrated e-commerce services.

Cross-border Sales

Cross-border sales operations were initially launched in 2011 in Japan through our subsidiary, EXTEND. Products are sourced from Japanese and Chinese manufacturers and brands, together with our private label smart products, and are included as the Operating Entities’ internal “recommended” or “strictly selected” product collections for Customers to select and purchase. Since our inception, the Operating Entities have selected approximately 10,000 suppliers and 100,000 featured products. Customers are mainly comprised of sellers on various e-commerce platforms, such as Amazon, Lazada, Shopee, Wish, Coupang, Yahoo, WOWMA, Rakuten, Tmall, Taobao, JD, and TikTok, and independent website operators.

The Operating Entities use a multi-channel marketing strategy. Online, the Operating Entities approach Customers through (i) advertising promotion on their own official websites (www.jp-extend.com and www.whale.xin), major e-commerce platforms, social media, search engines, and independent websites, (ii) sending email marketing to potential customers, (iii) and referrals from existing Customers. Offline, the Operating Entities approach Customers mainly through attending exhibitions. The Customers place orders directly with the Operating Entities through email. Following receipt of orders, the Operating Entities either place orders with suppliers who ship the products directly to the Customers, or deliver the orders from their own warehouses in Japan to the Customers via third-party delivery companies. For the six months ended March 31, 2023 and the fiscal years ended September 30, 2022 and 2021, revenue derived from cross-border sales operating was $6.39 million, $17.91 million, and $12.42 million, accounting for approximately 70.80%, 81.29%, and 80.28% of our total revenue for the respective periods.

A majority of the Operating Entities’ cross-border sales operations have historically been conducted in Japan, and since 2011, the Operating Entities have been expanding their operations to Hong Kong and mainland China markets. Cross-border sales operation is the foundation of the comprehensive service system we are building. Over the years of experience the Operating Entities have encountered with e-commerce sellers in cross-border sales operation, they identified a large gap between the demands for placing advertisements, and limited resources and channels to advertise, especially on social media platforms, and have identified significant growth potential in China’s rapidly developing e-commerce market. Therefore, in 2016, HQT NETWORK was established in Hong Kong, for the provision of digital marketing services; and in 2021, we established Chuancheng Digital and Chuancheng Internet in China, offering cross-border sales and Integrated e-commerce training services, respectively.

For the fiscal year ended September 30, 2021, among our revenues derived from cross-border sales operations, 99.48%, 0.52%, and 0% were derived from Japan, mainland China and Hong Kong, respectively. For the fiscal year ended September 30, 2022, among our revenues derived from cross-border sales operations, 92.23%, 5.46%, and 2.31% were derived from Japan, mainland China and Hong Kong, respectively. For the six months ended March 31, 2023, among our revenues derived from cross-border sales operations, 85.65%, 8.95%, and 5.40% were derived from Japan, mainland China and Hong Kong, respectively.

Integrated E-commerce Services

Digital Marketing

Through the subsidiary, HQT NETWORK, in Hong Kong, the Operating Entities connect Customers and other cross-border e-commerce sellers and suppliers (collectively, the “Merchants”) with social media platforms to provide digital marketing services to Merchants. HQT NETWORK has cooperated with Google Asia Pacific Pte., Ltd. (“Google”) since 2017 and became an authorized agent of Google in 2018, through making use of the vast suppliers’ and Customers’ data that the Operating Entities have collected from their cross-border sales operation by conducting market research and analysis by digital marketing team to identify trends and preferences in different regions and consumer segments, HQT NETWORK helps the Merchants create multilingual websites, optimize product keyword rankings, and distribute advertisements on Google and its own channels, such as Google search engine, Google display, Gmail, and YouTube. HQT NETWORK aims to provide comprehensive digital marketing solutions equipped with technology and data that meet the digital marketing needs of the Merchants, and help the Merchants engage, cultivate, retain and expand their regional customer base. Since the launch of this business line, HQT NETWORK has served more than 200 Merchants. Starting from 2023, HQT NETWORK has also partnered with Huntmobi Holdings Limited, an online advertising agency based in China, for ad deployment, to gain access to a wider array of online media. For the six months ended March 31, 2023, and the fiscal years ended September 30, 2022 and 2021, revenue derived from digital marketing was $2.26 million, $3.95 million, and $3.05 million, accounting for approximately 25.04%, 17.91%, and 19.70% of our total revenue for the respective periods.

E-commerce Operation Training and Software Support Services

To diversify our revenue sources, in 2021, the Operating Entities started offering services, including e-commerce operation training and software support services. The recorded e-commerce operation training courses teach Customers skills and information needed to successfully operate and grow their online shops. The Operating Entities also offer proprietary software tools that facilitate Customers with their day-to-day e-commerce operations, including product shelving, supply chain management, and operational management.

For the six months ended March 31, 2023, and the fiscal years ended September 30, 2022, and 2021, our revenue from e-commerce operation training and software services was $0.35 million, $175,543, and $3,264, accounting for approximately 3.39%, 0.80%, and 0.02% of our total revenue for the respective periods.

Our principal executive offices are located at 2-23-3 Minami-Ikebukuro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo, Japan and our phone number is +03-5927-9261. Our registered office in the Cayman Islands is located at the offices of Vistra (Cayman) Limited, P. O. Box 31119 Grand Pavilion, Hibiscus Way, 802 West Bay Road, Grand Cayman, KY1 – 1205, Cayman Islands, and the phone number of our registered office is+1-(345)769-9372. We maintain a corporate website at www.linkagecc.com.