Unpacking iiZO, Anime's Most Ambitious Store, With Toho International Exec Stacy Burt

Thanks to Toho International, iiZO is helping bring rare anime goodies from Japan to fans across the globe.

By Megan Peters

Anime is bigger than ever, and thanks to social media, the fandom is only growing. Known once as a niche interest, anime has flown beyond ever expectation as audiences across the globe are tuning into top shows. Of course, this means interest in merchandise are growing in kind, and iiZO is here to help collectors out. The store, which is overseen by Toho International, strives to bring rare anime goodies from Japan to fans across the globe. And recently, ComicBook got to chat with Stacy Burt, the director of Marketing at Toho International, about the store's mission.

As you can see below, Burt addresses the main goals iiZO has set out while touching upon the store's future. If you are not familiar with all that iiZO offers, you can find the digital storefront here. From Jujutsu Kaisen to Demon Slayer, iiZO features merchandise from all sorts of shows. So if you're on the market for some anime goodies, iiZO wants to make your anime dreams come true!

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Q: Anime is massive these days both in Japan and globally. With interest higher than ever, what prompted Toho International to assemble iiZO?

Burt: With anime's global popularity, there's more anime merchandise than ever but the options for where to shop for officially licensed goods in North America are limited. Demand from fans is high, but only a select number of retailers are available to accommodate them. iiZO was created as a solution: to use our position as Toho International to help fans access merchandise straight from Japan.

Q: iiZO has a lot of merchandise from anime's top series. What would you say is the shop's mission when it comes to providing goods for fans?

Burt: iiZO is a tailored experience that aims to bring the feeling of a friendly neighborhood anime shop online. We strive to present fans with not only popular items from top series but also to curate the unexpected. We not only bring in goods you would expect as an anime retailer, but also feature cool anime merch collabs from North American based brands (like the Attack on Titan x Color Bars collection) and products that align with anime interests (like the Lo-Fi City Pop LP by Grey October Sound). Our goal is for iiZO to not only be well-rounded in its offerings but also to surprise and delight.

Q: What has the reception for iiZO been like since its launch? Have any consumer trends taken you by surprise?

Burt: To be honest, some fans have thought that we're too good to be real! With iiZO run by Toho International and featuring a team with experience from Crunchyroll, Viz, Bandai Namco, Aniplex, Hot Topic, and beyond, we're about as official as you can get.

Given the limited number of official retailers for fans to purchase anime goods from, many unofficial shops have popped up here and there. Because of that, it's understandable consumers have become cautious when shopping from a new store, especially when it features merch that's hard to find elsewhere and doesn't have the markups you might see on resell sites. That said, the products in our Rare Finds collection (those that are difficult to find elsewhere) are easily the first to sell out! Especially those from Jujutsu Kaisen.

Q: Obviously, Toho International oversees a good few anime series itself. How does iiZO fit into the company's portfolio overall?

Burt: iiZO is part of Toho International, a US-based subsidiary of Toho Company, Limited or "Toho" in Japan. We manage Toho's owned IP (Godzilla) in North America, which means we operate the Godzilla Store, and support anime titles produced by TOHO animation. In fact, Toho International is supporting TOHO animation on the launch of their new English X account.

This is all to say, that we work very closely with our Japan-based counterparts to help international fans gain more access to the anime series they love, whether through news updates on social media or through merchandise on iiZO. However, it's worth clarifying that iiZO is not exclusively a TOHO animation store. We recognize the overall gap in the accessibility of anime merchandise and through iiZO we aim to help service the anime community at large.

Q: Anime merchandise is becoming more and more accessible in the United States. What sets iiZO apart as a storefront for goods?

Burt: While anime merchandise has become more accessible when compared to the past, the options for where to shop for official goods are still limited. In addition, there are still plenty of products that are simply difficult to get-some retailers may not know these products exist or may lack the connections to secure them.

Conversely, iiZO is directly connected to Toho, allowing us to explore special merch opportunities for our store. But in addition to that, iiZO is run by true anime enthusiasts. We, like many fans, show our love of anime through merch, and we combine our expertise in commerce with our insights as consumers to curate products with other fans in mind. This allows us to avoid a catalog-style storefront and instead spotlight items that we know fans will particularly love.

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Q: As anime continues to grow, what future do you see for iiZO and the merchandising industry surrounding the medium?

Burt: As anime continues to become more accessible to wider audiences, merch will continue to expand with it. Fans will continue to expand the ways they display their love for their favorite shows and apparel in particular has come a long way. Unique designs that tap into current fashion trends (like the Attack on Titan Founding Titan Knit Sweater) are seen more and more with anime apparel, and that's one area at iiZO that we aim to support and grow.

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