Hibiya Kadan Co., Ltd. has implemented UPBOND Communication with a view to promoting OMO for further business growth.

Innovation Partners, Inc. provides marketing support under the slogan, "Be a bridge to innovation for all things, goods, and people. Ltd., but also in business development and consulting for regional revitalization.

In this context, UPBOND Communication was introduced to Hibiya Kadan Co., Ltd. with a view to promoting OMO for further business growth. In this interview, we spoke with Masahiro Shiono, Executive Officer of the New Business Development Department, about the background leading up to the implementation and future prospects.

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Difficulty in creating a virtuous circle

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First of all, please tell us about your background and the team you are a member of.

I ORIGINALLY CAME FROM THE IT DEPARTMENT AT HIBIYA KADAN, WHERE I WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR PROMOTING COMPANY-WIDE DX INITIATIVES, USING IT TO DRIVE INNOVATION, WHILE COMMUNICATING WITH VENDORS AND WORKING ACROSS THE COMPANY'S BUSINESSES.

I THEN BECAME INVOLVED IN THE AREA OF DIGITAL MARKETING AND MOVED TO THE GROUP COMPANY INNOVATION PARTNERS (IP).

Currently, I am involved in business development and marketing for several companies, mainly Hibiya Kadan, while managing the entire business.

PLEASE TELL US ABOUT THE DATA COLLECTION AND MEASURES YOU TOOK BEFORE INTRODUCING UPBOND AND THE CHALLENGES YOU FACED.

WE WERE USING A DIFFERENT CRM TOOL TO COMMUNICATE WITH CUSTOMERS WHO VISITED US ONLINE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT HIBIYA KADAN.

Although it was good for normal measures, I was not sure if we had a self-driving system in place. What I mean by "self-driven system" here is a system that can create a virtuous cycle of not only implementing marketing measures, but also using the data obtained from the measures and applying it to the next measures.

There are certain ironclad measures in digital marketing, especially in the CRM area, that will produce results if implemented, but stopping there will not lead to continuous results. As long as you are doing business online, it is important to continue to implement even better measures in response to the information you have obtained.

THE KEY TO TURNING SUCH A VIRTUOUS CYCLE IS TO DECIDE WHAT PURPOSE TO USE CRM TOOLS AND MA TOOLS FOR AND HOW TO INCORPORATE THEM INTO THE SYSTEM. IF YOU DON'T DECIDE ON A POLICY OR AXIS, I THINK IT WILL BE DIFFICULT TO GENERATE CONTINUOUS RESULTS OVER THE MEDIUM TO LONG TERM.

At the same time, it is necessary to have the knowledge and mechanisms in-house to create a virtuous cycle. Since it would take a lot of power to set up such a system at high speed, we began to consider partners who could accompany us externally and eventually produce the product in-house.

In this sense, UPBOND may have been a good choice because they provide CRM-BI-MA tools and can work together with us to make improvements.

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Agile business operations with heat and quick communication

What were the deciding factors for the introduction of UPBOND Communication?

I THINK IT WAS THE ENTHUSIASM OF THE UPBOND MEMBERS. I THINK WE MATCHED EACH OTHER IN THAT WE WERE ABLE TO COMMUNICATE QUICKLY, AND WE BOTH HAD TO PRODUCE RESULTS.

In order to create a virtuous cycle, it is necessary to implement a policy, analyze the results, formulate the next policy, and implement it again, all in an honest cycle. In such a situation, even if we always apply a constant power, we sometimes lose it somewhere. In such cases, I feel that our company is well suited to work with a partner who can think together with us about how to produce results.

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Consultants immediately follow up and resolve even the most detailed consultations.

What are some of the aspects of the system that have been particularly useful to you?

CRM tools have a wide variety of functions, so I think the speed is fast because of the generous support rather than the functionality of the tools. I have the impression that we are able to manage our business in an agile manner because the regular weekly meetings are held to discuss policies, verify the effectiveness of measures, and set actions for the next round at a fast tempo.

The rest can be fine-tuned by the consultant to meet your detailed needs, so you can make small adjustments.

How much thought can we give to our customers?

WHAT IS YOUR POLICY AND THOUGHTS ON DX IN THE FUTURE?

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO ACHIEVE WITH DX? WHAT DO WE WANT TO CONVEY TO OUR CUSTOMERS? I WOULD LIKE TO KEEP THE IDEA OF "WHAT DO WE WANT TO CONVEY TO OUR CUSTOMERS?

Since we have already achieved results to some extent by implementing the high road measures, I think the next step is to implement more detailed measures from the customer's point of view and verify their effectiveness. I am looking forward to working with you to achieve results.

It is especially important to be able to keep thinking about a better customer experience because the merchandise is compatible with the personalization of communication. What are the thoughts behind the purchase of flowers, and what are the thoughts behind the gift? This is the basis of all measures, so I would like to think about this together with you.

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LASTLY, DO YOU HAVE A MESSAGE FOR UPBOND?

I would like to think more deeply about the customer's experience and when they would want to send flowers. I would like to think more deeply about this question.

I THINK UPBOND AND IP ARE IN A SIMILAR PHASE, SO I HOPE WE CAN CONTINUE TO WORK TOGETHER TO CREATE A BETTER CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE AND ACHIEVE EVEN GREATER RESULTS. I HOPE WE CAN CONTINUE TO WORK TOGETHER TO IMPROVE THE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE AND ACHIEVE EVEN GREATER RESULTS.

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