How about some sushi via LINE?

Two years have passed since the launch of Gin no Sara's official LINE account. By carefully building communication with users, they've cultivated passionate fans and achieved significant sales growth.

What are the "communication strategies that blend into daily life" that capture the hearts of LINE users? And what are the creative points discovered through trial and error?

Satoru Nagayama of RideOn Express, which operates "Gin no Sara," and Yoshimi Ogino of Dentsu Inc. Isobar, responsible for planning, production, operation, and system development, discuss these strategies.

From left: Satoru Nagayama, Marketing Manager at Gin no Sara, and Yoshimi Ogino of Dentsu Isobar. The discussion took place on March 25, 2020.

We want to provide a convenient and enjoyable "sushi experience" to a wider range of customers!

Nagayama: Gin no Sara is a delivery sushi brand. We used to print many menus and post them to homes in our delivery area, communicating with customers through messages like "One call, fast delivery."

That approach changed in 2011. We launched an official ordering website and began seriously focusing on digital communication. However, as we operated it, new challenges emerged: "The official site alone isn't efficient for reaching new customers," and "Email newsletter open rates are becoming harder to increase." Additionally, our desire to "enhance functionality and convenience" and "pursue a stress-free ordering system" grew stronger.

That's when we considered utilizing LINE, a platform used by many people.

It allowed us to broadly approach potential customers already using LINE and send messages as a complementary tool to email newsletters. Furthermore, we believed it would be easier than overhauling the official website to add new features users were seeking. So, around 2016, we consulted with Dentsu Inc. Isobar, saying, "We want to start a new communication service using LINE."

Ogino: Hearing this, I immediately thought, "This is an exciting challenge." The official website, centered around ordering functionality, attracts people who "want sushi right now" or "want to place an order." On the other hand, I believed LINE harbors a large, distinct customer base—people who "aren't necessarily craving sushi right now but love sushi" or "are interested in it"—clearly different from the audience visiting the official site.

For those people, we could provide a new communication space where they might casually remember Gin no Sara. I remember feeling it was a very exciting project, one that could cultivate motivation around sushi.

By consciously differentiating it from the official site and designing it uniquely for LINE, we could also expect net customer growth. I felt this project would fully leverage our strengths: data-driven, long-term CX (customer experience) planning and creative, along with thoughtful user communication that blends into daily life.

Enhance daily life and products with stories, leaving an impression of "days with sushi"

Nagayama: My initial requests were just two: "Use LINE to raise awareness of Gin no Sara" and "Develop a plan to increase sales." I emphasized this strongly during the orientation and had them plan accordingly.

The result was a proposal: "Don't just use LINE as a communication tool; make it a tool for providing experiences." They said they wanted to create a fluid customer experience where everything connects and flows—from considering a meal, to ordering, all the way through to after eating.

Ogino: Yes. We structured the CX design around enabling the entire sequence of experiences to happen seamlessly within the chat interface.

Ogino: Within this flow, we placed the highest priority on the monthly operational aspects. We discussed the timing of messages, how to craft copy and photos, and so on. We emphasized the importance of meticulously handling these seemingly mundane details based on data.

The reason we emphasize these unassuming parts is that relying solely on flashy campaigns and coupon distribution leads to quick burnout. Launching campaigns or distributing coupons does boost sales temporarily and dramatically. But it's like a potent drug. Once the event ends, the numbers often plummet. And repeating this makes users weary of the "advertising smell," driving them away.

So, rather than just campaigns and coupons, we focused on creating opportunities through LINE to make people crave sushi during the "in-between times" or "when nothing else is happening."

Nagayama: Exactly, that's the biggest feature of Gin no Sara's official LINE account. For example, around April 2019. We proposed to LINE users, under the title "The Last Sushi of the Heisei Era," suggesting, "Let's wrap up the last weekend of the Heisei era with sushi."

But we didn't just make a suggestion. We also presented two types of sushi buckets: one packed with popular toppings and another catering to both adults and children, asking "Which one are you?" That was key. The eye-catching proposal and casual call-to-action paid off, resulting in a significant jump in CTR (click-through rate).

Ogino: It wasn't a special campaign weekend, nor did we distribute coupons—it was a relatively ordinary weekend. Despite that, I recall it having the highest CTR in the first half of 2019. I believe the reason for such a huge response was that we created an opportunity for LINE users to eat sushi by attaching the story of "the last of the Heisei era," which was a societal event, to Gin no Sara's "sushi."

I imagine the thought process went something like this: "Oh, right, this is the last weekend of the Heisei era," "I want to eat something special," "Steak? Dining out? Oh, I could enjoy luxurious sushi at home!" That flow likely led to orders.

Nagayama: The strength lies in how smoothly this "realization" flows into ordering. Take "LINE Login," which links your official site account and LINE password. Once set up, you can tap items directly in the LINE chat window to order sushi. No need to leave LINE, access the official site, log in, and enter details separately.

Another key point is how easily you can swap out sushi toppings during ordering. "I don't like sea urchin, so I'll swap it for my favorite medium-fatty tuna," or "I'll add egg for my kid's favorite..." By swapping toppings like this, you can create your own original box based on existing items, and you can even save your custom box for future orders.

Ogino: Users can instantly check their order history right from LINE, and they don't have to start swapping out toppings from scratch every time—ordering is simple. This feature is so popular that some people specifically choose to order from Gin no Sara because of it.

Daily attentive communication and stress-free functional design. I believe it's precisely because these two elements are seamlessly connected and alive that sales continue to grow steadily.

A Mother's Day creative that changed dramatically through trial and error

Nagayama: It's been about two and a half years since we started operations. Currently, approximately 3 million "friends" (as of March 2020) are registered with Gin no Sara's official LINE account. I feel that the reason Gin no Sara's official LINE account has grown this much is because there was a lot of trial and error behind the scenes.

Ogino: I agree. We really went through every possible trial and error, didn't we? (laughs)

What stands out most to me is the Mother's Day creative. When we first launched the LINE Official Account, "Instagrammable" content was trending. So we went to great lengths to photograph things like arranging hand-rolled sushi into bouquet-style displays or presenting chirashi sushi in cups as parfait-style creations. We shared these photos with copy like "Show your mom appreciation with gorgeous sushi"... but while people clicked, it didn't translate to sales at all.

We wondered why and re-examined our user demographics. For the following year's 2019 Mother's Day, we hypothesized that "mothers themselves are the ones ordering sushi." We ditched elaborate arrangements, instead prominently showcasing popular items with the appeal: "Mom, take it easy today." We also optimized the timing of the post and ensured direct links to the products. The result? It became our highest-selling campaign of 2019.

By testing in the first year, analyzing results and data, then completely revamping the creative in the second year—repeating this process numerous times—we steadily learned how to create truly effective campaigns. Even now, we meticulously record all detailed data: "What creative was used?", "What were the results like (CTR, order rate, etc.)?", "What about other metrics like bounce rate?" We verify this data and continuously create content while running the PDCA cycle.

Thorough communication on the basics led to increased sales

Nagayama: Thanks to these efforts, orders via LINE are steadily increasing. Sales are rising to the point where we wonder, "Is this growth even sustainable?" and "How far will it go?" We're feeling very positive about the momentum.

Ogino: What's interesting is that sales keep climbing even when the number of "friends" isn't increasing. We're seeing a phenomenon where existing "friends" are placing more orders. I think this proves that Gin no Sara's official LINE account has been accepted as a standard ordering and communication tool. It's functioning like a bookmark, too... I definitely feel it has become a platform that contributes to sales.

Nagayama: I believe that stems from our careful focus on communication that blends seamlessly into daily life. Our president often uses the phrase "thoroughness in the ordinary." Doing the basics well is actually difficult, and it's through thoroughness that they gain special meaning. It's not flashy, and results don't appear overnight, but by steadily building daily communication, outcomes gradually emerge.

LINE is like stepping into someone's home. It's like entering their relaxed living room, or joining in on a family conversation. That's precisely why approachable, casual, everyday communication is crucial, along with creating impactful moments and compelling stories when promoting products.

Moving forward, we want to reach people at the right moment for them, provide the services they seek, and extend that convenience and enjoyment even after meals. We aim to cultivate our LINE Official Account as such a tool, pursuing one-to-one communication.