Changing society and consumer awareness through shopping. The "Okaimono" Project realized through cross-industry collaboration (Part 1)

The "It's Shopping for Good." project enables consumers to contribute to solving social issues through their daily shopping. The second phase of this collaborative project, involving manufacturers, payment service providers, and retailers, runs from Friday, September 1, 2023, to Saturday, September 30, 2023.

Last year's first phase saw participation from approximately 300,000 consumers and raised about 11.5 million yen in donations to social contribution organizations, earning the project high praise.In this article, we spoke with Shinya Makino and Ayaka Adachi from Kao Group Customer Marketing Co., Ltd., Soichi Hara from NTT DOCOMO, Inc., and Mai Kawabata from Dentsu Inc., who manages the project, about the background behind its launch and its future goals.The discussion was moderated by Rie Takeshima from Dentsu Inc.'s Sustainability Consulting Office, which supports corporate management from a sustainability perspective. This interview is presented in two parts.

Making "Sustainability" – Often Seen as a High Hurdle – More Accessible

Takushima: Recently, many companies have embraced SDGs and ESG management, and I believe consumers increasingly recognize the importance of addressing social issues. That said, the reality is that taking actual action can feel like a high hurdle. In this context, a campaign enabling sustainable actions through everyday shopping is a wonderful initiative. Could you briefly outline the campaign and its origins?

Kawabata: During the campaign period, when customers purchase eligible products at participating stores using "d Pay" or "PayPay," 1% of the purchase amount is donated to a social contribution organization chosen by the buyer. Additionally, the buyer receives up to 10% in points. Participating manufacturers also donate 1% of the sales from these products to social contribution organizations through this project.This year's participating companies are Kao Corporation, Asahi Beverage Co., Ltd., and Hormel Foods Corporation. Participating stores include supermarkets and drugstores from 17 retailers across 55 chains.

Makino: One background for launching this campaign was a shift in mindset across the Kao Group toward challenging ourselves to create products that further emphasize "quality and bonds." However, there are limits to what one company can achieve alone. We wanted to create a larger wave of change and launch initiatives that could spark shifts in consumers' awareness and actions, leading us to establish this project with Dentsu Inc.Rather than pursuing promotions focused solely on sales, we wanted to work with retailers to enhance engagement with consumers and build "bonds" with customers.

Hara: As NTT DOCOMO, a provider of telecommunications—a vital social infrastructure—we strive daily for a society where people can live with greater peace of mind, safety, comfort, and prosperity, transcending national borders, regions, and generations. We engage in various social contribution activities, including carbon neutrality.When I heard about this project, I thought it was wonderful that the essential act of shopping could contribute to society. The idea of contributing to sustainability while keeping the economy running aligns perfectly with our corporate philosophy.

Conscious of transparent social contribution where individuals can choose their own donation recipients

Kawabata: In the first phase implemented last year, approximately 300,000 people participated, enabling us to make donations exceeding 10 million yen. Looking at consumer reactions on social media and elsewhere, many comments expressed sentiments like, "It's great that it's so easy to do," and "It's great that you can contribute to society as an extension of your daily life." Overall, it seems people had a positive impression.

Adachi: Indeed, we've also received positive feedback from retailers selling the designated products in their stores. Beyond the ease of participating in social contribution activities, some mentioned, "While our company is already working on SDGs, we haven't been able to effectively engage our customers. This initiative provided a valuable opportunity to do so."

Kawabata: Another distinctive feature of this project is that consumers can choose the donation recipient themselves. While many initiatives say "a donation is made when you buy something," often consumers don't know what the donation is used for, or it's automatically donated to a predetermined recipient. In contrast, the "Okaimono" project allows consumers to select the donation recipient based on themes like "the society they want to realize."If no choice is made, donations are distributed equally among all organizations. Last time, out of 300,000 participants, about 50,000 actively selected their own donation recipient. We see significant value in the fact that so many people took the trouble to visit the site and take this proactive step. We hope this becomes an opportunity for a kind of mini-political participation, where people think about a better society through their shopping.

Hara: We've also received inquiries from Docomo asking, "We want to know about the activities of the donation recipients," and "How are the donations actually used?" which really shows us the high level of consumer interest.

Kawabata: We place particular emphasis on visualizing how donated funds contribute to social activities. Each recipient organization provides detailed reports on how the money was used. We publish these on the site and, with Docomo's cooperation, send messages to last year's participants reporting back.

Takashima: Sharing information with consumers about "what purpose their actions serve" and "what results they produce" might offer insights for sustaining these activities.

A system that's easy for consumers to participate in, something one company alone couldn't achieve

Kawabata: Looking at last year's results, besides Kao Corporation, we also had one food manufacturer participate. A key feature was the high combined purchase rate for these two companies. The fact that it wasn't a single-company campaign but spanned multiple companies and industries might be part of what makes it an easy system for consumers to participate in.Last year's campaign required a single purchase of ¥1,000 or more (tax included) to earn points or make donations. This year, however, the threshold was changed to a cumulative total of ¥1,500 or more (tax included) over a one-month period. With one more participating manufacturer and one additional payment platform compared to last year, we believe this second iteration has been updated to be a campaign that is even easier for consumers to participate in.

Hara: With more general supermarkets participating this year, we expect the range of consumers joining the campaign to broaden. While maintaining a sustainability perspective, sales figures are also crucial for sustaining the company. Striking the right balance and creating a system that increases participation is key.

Takushima: It's also wonderful that people from different industries—manufacturers, retailers, and telecom companies supporting payments—are collaborating with shared goals, bringing their respective strengths to the table. Launching the project, involving various internal departments, and gaining customer support to make it happen must have been very challenging. However, as one approach to addressing social issues, I think it's a highly instructive initiative.

The "Okaimono" project created a system allowing everyday participation in social contribution activities that might otherwise seem daunting. Last year, approximately 300,000 consumers joined, achieving significant results. To ensure this project isn't just a one-off but becomes a sustainable initiative, what future developments are being considered? In the second part, we'll discuss the vision they aim to achieve through the campaign and their future outlook.

• Changing society and consumer awareness through shopping. The "Okaimono" Project, realized through cross-industry collaboration (Part 2)