"Commerce Marketing Conference―Customer Experience (CX) Transforms Brand Value" was held. Vol.2
On July 29, the "Commerce Marketing Conference—Customer Experience (CX) Transforming Brand Value" was held at Dentsu Inc. Hall. This article covers Part 2 of the event.
Part 2: "New Perspectives on EC Utilization: Aiming to Balance Branding and Sales Acquisition"
[Speaker]
Shuichi Namai
Kao Corporation
Consumer Products Business Division, Business Strategy Promotion Department
EC Business Development Department Manager
Junichi Kamino
Dentsu Inc.
Solution Development Center, Commerce Marketing 1 Department Manager
In Part 2, Shuichi Ikui, Manager of the EC Business Development Department, Business Strategy Promotion Division, Consumer Products Business Unit, Kao Corporation, and Junichi Kamino, General Manager of Commerce Marketing Division 1, Solution Development Center, Dentsu Inc., took the stage to introduce cutting-edge initiatives in commerce marketing by manufacturers.
Mr. Jinno first outlined the evolving role of e-commerce within business and society. He explained, "Until around 2010, companies focused on long-tail strategies for their e-commerce platforms. It was an era of simply trying to list diverse products on e-commerce platforms. Then, around 2010, the advent of smartphones led to the development of experience-based proposals in e-commerce. Now, it has evolved further and is becoming a lifestyle infrastructure."
EC is also shifting beyond being merely a place for manufacturers to sell products. As more roles are expected, this session featured discussions centered on the theme "EC that Balances Branding and Sales."
Mr. Kanno stated that Kao is advancing this "balancing branding and sales" initiative, then moved to an introduction of Kao's own challenges from Mr. Ikui.
Mr. Namai stated, "At our company, e-commerce isn't solely aimed at expanding sales. We believe it can also fulfill roles such as: ① increasing awareness and spreading buzz, ② assessing product potential and identifying issues early, and ③ generating sales-related data to feed into SCM and in-store deployment."
However, realizing this vision requires integrating Triple Media with Shopper Media (e-commerce sites). This necessitates personnel capable of central coordination, yet few individuals currently possess the holistic understanding needed to formulate strategy. Currently, various internal teams collaborate under a four-pronged approach.
Furthermore, to advance these cross-departmental initiatives, Kao established the "Advanced Technology Strategy Office" in 2018. Mr. Namai was appointed as one of its members. This cross-functional organization brings together personnel from diverse departments, with a mission to drive operational efficiency and business transformation through IT. E-commerce initiatives are one such focus.
Regarding future prospects, Mr. Namai explained, "Currently, Kao aims to propose value to customers not just through products, but by combining products with services." He continued, "In an era where simply releasing a product makes it difficult to convey its value, adding a service that combines, for example, IoT appliances that understand hair condition when brushed, could make the value of our hair care products easier to communicate. We want to challenge ourselves to create new value by combining products and services using IT."
Summarizing the discussion, Mr. Jinno stated, "I believe e-commerce will become a platform for delivering new value to society. This future will be shaped by the trinity of consumers, distributors, and manufacturers working together."
Next time, we will cover Part 3, titled "After Digital."
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