"Commerce Marketing Conference—Customer Experience (CX) Transforms Brand Value" was held. Vol.6

From right in the photo: Shin Imai, Director and Head of Branding Division, I-ne; Yuhei Shinozaki, Head of Digital Marketing Division, Suntory Communications; Takamasa Fujii, Consumer Marketing Manager, Philips (Koninklijke Philips N.V.); and moderator Yu Taniguchi, Editor-in-Chief of the monthly magazine 'Senden Kaigi'.

The sixth and final session of this conference featured marketers from I-ne, Suntory Communications, and Philips. They discussed manufacturers' commerce strategies, primarily online, based on their respective company initiatives.

Suntory Communications, which has strong offline sales channels and has recently been focusing on online sales, and I-ne, which achieved growth through the success of its "BOTANIST" brand—originally built around online sales channels—and has recently been focusing on offline sales by opening physical stores, represent two companies taking diametrically opposed approaches in their commerce marketing strategies. Consequently, their challenges differ significantly. Nevertheless, both companies agreed that as consumers' lifestyles shift toward digital, a commerce strategy integrating both online and offline channels is essential.

Mr. Imai of I-ne outlined their strategy: "Modern consumers live in both the physical and digital worlds, so we constantly devise communication initiatives that reach them in both realms." The company has opened a flagship store, "BOTANIST Tokyo," in Harajuku, Tokyo, which also features a café. While actively utilizing SNS, the company believes that brand loyalty among customers is strengthened only through real-world brand experiences.

"While I-ne began as a digital brand, we are also focusing on creating offline touchpoints like flagship stores and real-world events," said Shin Imai.

Mr. Shinozaki from Suntory Communications shared his perspective: "While e-commerce growth is significant, online sales still account for the majority of our revenue. Therefore, we believe e-commerce requires strategies that deliver benefits beyond sales, such as branding and serving as a platform for new consumer research." He added that for manufacturers, offline sales channels make it difficult to identify actual purchasers. He suggested that e-commerce data could be leveraged to gain deeper insights into customer profiles.

Mr. Yuhei Shinozaki of Suntory Communications introduced an example of a special Father's Day package for "Premium Malts" sold via e-commerce. Sales increased due to the effectiveness of this package.

Mr. Fujii of Philips, who originally worked as a brand marketer at Philips' Japan office and is now based at the company's headquarters in Amsterdam, Netherlands, shared insights on cutting-edge commerce marketing strategies within global corporations.

"Regarding our approach with platform partners, we identify the distinct characteristics of each retailer—whether they prioritize price or effectively communicate product appeal—and tailor our offerings accordingly. We also develop unique products specifically for each platform," he stated, illustrating how e-commerce influences not only promotions but also upstream product development. He also mentioned that Philips is focusing on developing products and services, such as IoT appliances, that can connect directly with consumers. Here too, the view was presented that data analysis determines the success or failure of the strategy.

Takao Fujii, who is normally based at Philips headquarters in Amsterdam, Netherlands, participated in the panel discussion during a temporary return to Japan. The presentation highlighted the dynamic commerce marketing practices within a global corporation.