Can Smartphones Be the Savior of Regional Revitalization? (ASOViEW! × relux × Dentsu Inc. Smart Platform)

Hello. I'm Satoshi Yamamoto from Dentsu Inc. Smart Plus. Thanks to the proliferation of smartphones and the development of communication infrastructure, the internet has become accessible to nearly all Japanese citizens on an equal footing. Now, even those in rural areas can access information just as easily as those in urban centers and equally share information. This has drawn attention to the very nature of regional development.
With the Abe Cabinet prioritizing "Regional Revitalization" as its most critical task and significant attention focused on regional activation, "creating and revitalizing tourism" has become crucial. In this field, the saviors expected to lead the charge are various new services in the tourism and leisure sectors, developed by startup companies primarily operating in the internet domain.
This time, Dentsu Inc. Smart Plus invited two entrepreneurs running startups gaining attention in the tourism field to discuss how smartphones have changed our lives and what the future holds.

Capture Smartphone Users' Hearts with "3-Second Content" and "Catch Photos"

Yamamoto: First, could you share your perspective on how smartphones are used and changes in user behavior, based on your service's actual experience?

Yamano: For our activity booking service ASOViEW!, smartphone access accounts for nearly 70% of traffic. When it comes to actual bookings, that percentage increases further, with about 80% coming via smartphone. We feel the shift to smartphones has been particularly pronounced over the past year and a half.

Shinozuka: relux is somewhat unique because we handle high-value products like reservations at top-tier ryokan and hotels. While nearly 80% of our traffic comes from smartphones, about 70% of bookings are made on PCs. Since over 80% of our traffic originates from SNS, we see a pattern where users first engage with us on their smartphones during commutes or at social gatherings, then switch to PCs to compare with other services and finalize their booking.

Yamano: ASOViEW! (compared to relux) has lower average order values, and users in their 20s make up half of our total audience. Therefore, we prioritize mobile conversions (bookings) above all else. As one strategy, we've implemented phone reservations, which might seem a bit old-fashioned. Compared to PCs, filling out personal information forms is more inconvenient on smartphones. However, the flip side is that users can book directly by phone. After implementing phone reservations, we actually saw an increase in bookings.

Yamamoto: Both of those points are very interesting.
Do you approach users differently for services that lead to immediate conversion versus those where traffic and reservations split across devices?

Shinozuka: I place great importance on "3 seconds" and "3 minutes." This means focusing on content that either hooks users within 3 seconds or requires over 3 minutes to fully engage. relux is particularly designed with the former in mind. It's about how intuitively we can move people with one image and one copy. This is truly a communication approach unique to the smartphone era. Since 80% of our traffic comes from smartphones, we prioritize creating as much shareable 3-second content as possible.

Yamano: When we launched the ASOViEW! service in spring 2012, it was PC-oriented, emphasizing text for experience introductions. For smartphone users, however, photos and catchphrases are crucial. They need to feel the atmosphere, then check the price.
We call it the "catch photo." The quality of the photo and how well it captures the viewer's attention dramatically changes the conversion rate.
Incidentally, one of the most shared items on ASOViEW!'s Facebook page is "Blue Sea, Blue Sky." It really made me understand why Japanese people love Hawaii (laughs).

Yamamoto: This really highlights how "smartphones are emotion devices."
You both mentioned "sharing" as a keyword. Are there any distinctive patterns in how things get shared?

Shinozuka: We see a lot of shares where headlines like "A place you want to visit at least once in your lifetime" really resonate. It feels like people are sharing because it stimulates that "desire for a first-time experience" – something they've never seen, experienced, or tasted before.

Yamano: Exactly. For ASOViEW!, it translates to "I want to try this." Since social media sharing is a major source of traffic to our site, we consciously focus on stimulating those emotions.

From the PC era of "searching" to the smartphone era of "discovering" information

Yamamoto: It's clear smartphones are crucial for both companies' services, but are there aspects uniquely suited to the smartphone era?

Yamano: Regarding the "activity reservations" ASOViEW! provides, I now feel it's precisely a service made possible by the smartphone era.
Smartphones fundamentally changed how we use the internet. For our service, the most critical factor driving bookings is awakening users' latent needs—providing that "Wow, this exists!" encounter with the unknown.
When the desire itself isn't yet apparent, users can't search for it using keywords, so they don't even reach the search stage. In reality, searches like "I want to create wonderful memories" simply didn't exist before. Solution-based engines only worked for things that had existing keywords.
However, smartphones changed how we interact with the internet and social media, enabling entirely new "chance discoveries." This has propelled the activity industry into a new phase.

Shinozuka: That applies to tourism as a whole. Take Takeda Castle Ruins, discovered through an SNS feed. It proves Japan still has countless places with untapped tourism potential. Smartphones dramatically increased accessible information, enabling us to "discover" previously unknown details.
It's truly about Discover, rather than just Search.

Yamano: I feel the spread of smartphones is increasing the desire to get out and explore.
Access to information expands what people can do. Previously, people would search purposefully on PCs or using guidebooks, thinking "Let's do XX this weekend." Now, with smartphones making information easily accessible, even without consciously planning a trip, people are increasingly choosing different ways to spend their weekends – essentially, more "outings." While the "travel/tourism" metric has shown a slight decline for some time, I expect "outings" will continue to grow.

Shinozuka: It's true that tourist numbers continue to decline slightly, so the internet may not yet be the savior of the tourism industry. However, looking at specific regions, like Takeda Castle Ruins, there are places where numbers are increasing.
This is because smartphones have brought about "discoverability." They've made it possible to encounter unfamiliar regions. The individual optimization of services is clearly advancing, and I feel a tangible sense that this will translate into business opportunities.

Yamano: The activity industry remains a largely untouched market in terms of IT adoption. It faced major challenges, such as inventory not being centrally managed and the inability to offer real-time reservations.
Operators of these activities often have limited human resources. Unlike inns or hotels, they frequently need to be out in the field providing services. This meant managing on-site or phone reservations via computers was difficult and labor-intensive.
However, with the advent of smartphones, registration and confirmation can now be done easily anytime, anywhere. We believe this will also reduce the burden on the providers. As reservation services like ours become easier for providers to utilize, user convenience is significantly improving, creating fertile ground for bridging the gap to activities.

The key to fulfilling people's deepening desires lies in regional areas.

Yamamoto: From your discussion, it's clear smartphones are transforming the travel and tourism industry. Moving forward, I'd like to hear your thoughts on whether smartphones could become saviors for regional revitalization.

Shinozuka: Regional revitalization hinges on either "increasing the resident population" or "increasing the visitor population." Tourism falls into the latter category. It's about how many people we can attract to rural areas.
Smartphones are fundamentally changing how we spend our leisure time. I feel this has both positive and negative implications for tourism. Regions that use them well will thrive, and vice versa. I believe smartphones will clearly divide regions into winners and losers.

Yamano: The five components of "tourism," a key term in regional revitalization, are travel, lodging, recreation, dining, and souvenirs. A common thread across all these is the demand for "unique experiences" that can only be had locally. In other words, experiences with a story. The need for this is deepening. We're in an era where desires can't be satisfied by things alone; they require emotional fulfillment and experiences. I feel regions still have significant potential to excel in providing such "experiences."

Shinozuka: Why do people seek experiences with a story? I believe it's because humans are driven by "WHY." Services, experiences, or meals lacking a "WHY" lack interest or depth. They simply don't inspire that "I want to go there!" or "That looks fun!" feeling.
And what's amplifying this universal psychology is the internet and smartphones. We've entered an era where "WHAT" – the information – is accessible to everyone. Ordinary "WHAT" no longer resonates with people's hearts.

Yamano: What I feel has become more crucial due to smartphone proliferation is the shift from "Let's go" to "Come visit." Places that can effectively communicate their appeal will survive. Those that can't will struggle. With the spread of smartphones ≈ the internet, we've entered an era where regions must proactively share information only they can provide and get it shared. Information that's merely sightseeing-oriented is already common knowledge. Not only does it fail to spark a desire to act, it also isn't shared. What's needed is finding and sharing information that isn't like that.

Yamamoto: I see. So, the key to attracting people in the smartphone era lies in going beyond the "WHAT" to the "WHY" – crafting experiences that evoke a sense of story.

Yamano: We're in an era where the act of "going to XX" is something whose outcome is already predictable. There's no excitement there. This trend is also evident in the types of information shared on social media.
"I went here" no longer gets shared. Both services like ours and the receiving communities need to consciously focus on sharing experiences and stories like "I went here and did this."

Shinozuka: Three-second content tends to appeal more through passion, while three-minute content hinges on whether the story resonates. To draw people to a region, "how well you can convey the story" is becoming crucial. For that, I think the presence of unexpected discoveries is still key.

Smartphones Highlight Regional Character

Yamamoto: I see that smartphone adoption can significantly contribute to highlighting regional uniqueness and helping people across Japan discover its charm. Some say internet proliferation drives regional homogenization, but you both view it as the opposite?

Shinozuka: Japan's regional cultures are distinctly different. Kochi Prefecture and Aomori Prefecture are worlds apart. The experiences, language, food—everything is different. Even if the same convenience stores exist, the towns don't become identical. While giant supermarkets may kill off shopping streets, they can't destroy the underlying culture. If the movement to uncover the "WHY" and stories behind the "WHAT" spreads across regions, I expect local cultures will develop further and attract more visitors.

Yamano: It's true that with information spreading more easily, there's a tendency to want to copy successful examples. People immediately try to set up soba-making experiences or glass-making workshops, and plans for large public baths pop up everywhere (laughs).
Services like ours help uncover a region's strengths while figuring out how to attract visitors. We feel the expectations from local governments and communities every day.

Yamamoto: Finally, please share your thoughts on the future of tourism as reflected by smartphones.

Shinozuka: As personal internet ownership accelerates, the shift from "corporate" to "individual" players will grow even stronger in tourism. In other words, C2C will accelerate. Just as services like Airbnb (note) are already gaining traction overseas, the relentless pursuit of user convenience is giving birth to new forms of tourism. Technology, and specifically smartphones, are what make this possible.
I believe one reason people use Airbnb for lodging is the desire for "unique local experiences" unavailable at corporate facilities. This is precisely one example of the growing demand for deeper experiential value.

(Note) A C2C web service enabling individuals to rent out their residential properties to third parties for short stays. It serves diverse needs, such as renting an entire house for a week or booking a room in an apartment building in tourist areas with limited hotel availability.

 

Yamano: I completely agree. We in the activity industry are also paying close attention to C2C. While there are legal issues, imagine if, for example, guides—like ordinary anglers offering fishing tours or local farmers hosting potato digging experiences—became possible. I feel this could significantly boost regional tourism potential.

Yamamoto: I see, so there's still plenty of potential. Please work together to boost this through both companies' services. Thank you for today.