French people at a kushikatsu shop!? Unexpected findings from behavioral research using NFC and positioning devices.

Dentsu Inc. International Information Services (ISID)'s Open Innovation Lab (Inolab) is currently challenging itself to create an entirely new kind of city using IT.

In this sixth installment of the series, we hear from Junichi Suzuki, an InnoLab researcher and the mastermind behind the Social City project, about a unique experiment investigating the unexpected behaviors of French tourists.

We invited affluent French tourists to Japan and thoroughly investigated their travel behavior!

――I heard you conducted a unique proof-of-concept experiment using NFC (Near Field Communication) and location data targeting overseas tourists. Could you tell us more about it?

Suzuki: We targeted affluent French individuals to investigate their behavior when traveling to Japan. Previously, it was widely believed that wealthy French tourists "love Japan's cute culture, rarely buy souvenirs, and if they do, it's limited to Sanrio character goods." However, we wondered, "Could it be they only have credit cards and simply can't access places where cash is preferred?" or "Could it be we just haven't collected the right data?"

Therefore, in collaboration with the French department of Val-d'Oise, which has ties with Osaka Prefecture, and with the cooperation of the Senshu Ikeda Bank, which operates currency exchange counters at Kansai Airport, we began investigating the behavior of French travelers. For this experiment, we also received technical support from the MIT Media Lab and the Open University of Japan. We provided participating travelers with Wi-Fi positioning devices and GPS loggers. First, at Charles de Gaulle Airport in France, they were asked to touch an NFC device or IC card to the terminal. Simultaneously, we conducted a French-language survey asking about their planned hotel in Japan and the amount of cash they wished to exchange. They responded by touching images of hotels or amounts displayed on the screen.

Actually, preliminary interviews revealed they felt stressed knowing French wouldn't be understood at all in Japan. So, we figured they could input their basic preferences in French while still in France. While they were flying, Senshu Bank could prepare the substantial cash amounts these affluent French travelers desired. This paperless currency exchange—something that seemed unlikely—also helped reduce their language communication stress. Furthermore, since we knew which hotels each individual planned to stay at, we could also provide directions to those hotels during the currency exchange process.

This is how French travelers arrived at Kansai Airport with a substantial amount of Japanese yen in hand.

French tourists hooked on kushikatsu and pottery classes! Unexpected movements revealed by behavioral research

――What kind of activities did these affluent French travelers engage in while in Japan?

Suzuki: They went solo to kushikatsu restaurants, dropped in on pottery classes, bought loads of Kiyomizu-yaki pottery... They seemed to fully enjoy experiences that require cash. Furthermore, they tended to avoid shops featured in mass media. While their limited Japanese or English skills might be a factor, they acted based on information from social media rather than guidebooks.

So, with technical support from the MIT Media Lab, we measured which information triggered specific actions in specific individuals. The results revealed striking data: their daily activities were significantly influenced by photos and videos posted on SNS by other French travelers—not guidebooks or tour guides. Moreover, their actions varied dramatically from person to person. We also had them stay at "Grand Front Osaka," and their areas of interest, the places they visited, and their length of stay differed remarkably.

During the pilot test, participants used the same IC card they had tapped at terminals in Charles de Gaulle Airport upon leaving France. By tapping this card at any of the 36 Compass Touch terminals installed throughout Grand Front Osaka, the displayed map information and store details automatically switched to French. Additionally, we implemented operational features like enabling free rides on the Umeda community loop bus by tapping the same card when boarding. While it would be presumptuous to definitively state that these features directly caused specific behaviors, we sensed the potential to broaden the range of actions taken by visitors to Japan and encourage behavioral change by eliminating several anticipated stress factors beforehand.

Next, we plan to have Japanese individuals, whose lifelogs are captured at Grand Front Osaka and whose social graphs are known, travel to France. We want to observe what actions they take in France and under whose influence. By conducting such proof-of-concept experiments, we aim to explore what can be done for people coming from outside the commercial district. We also hope to apply these insights to the urban development project already underway in France.

Is an era coming where individuals own all their data and deposit it in information banks?

――That's precisely "big data." It seems likely that all kinds of information, including biometric data and financial asset information, will be digitized going forward.

Suzuki: That's right. While the trend is for individuals to own their visit histories and behavioral records, it's not clearly defined who owns biometric information like blood pressure, heart rate, or brain waves. If an era arrives where individuals, not medical institutions, manage their biometric data, simply sending that data to a hospital could automatically generate diagnosis results. If medical records reside with the individual, obtaining second or third opinions would become straightforward. The concept of social networks will likely also drive differentiation among medical and financial institutions.

I believe discussions about who is best suited to manage this information will inevitably arise in the future. Professor Ryosuke Shibasaki at the University of Tokyo is already working on an initiative called "information banks." This system involves gathering information you wish to manage with a neutral third-party organization, which then allows you to select and disclose specific data. I envision a society where there are established data management entities, supplemented by advisory bodies with deep expertise in handling that data. These advisors would provide solid guidance on how to share information and its benefits, paving the way for actual service implementation.

Currently, individual history data remains locked within each business operator's closed systems. This means valuable data remains buried without connecting with others. No new effects or value are created. I hope individuals will increasingly raise their voices, declaring, "I am the master of my own data!"