From 26 to 30 May, more than ten of China's leading brand marketers spent five days in Tokyo studying Japanese consumer brands. They visited Tsutaya Books, MUJI, Tokyu Hands and Waseda University, and sat down for in-depth sessions with four senior executives and experts from Japan's consumer-brand sector.
Most participants came from the brand and marketing teams of leading companies such as NetEase Yanxuan, Microsoft China, Toutiao and Matrix Partners China. Over five days and four nights they traded ideas, sparked each other's thinking and explored strategies for consumer upgrading and brand innovation.
MUJI, the retail legend: from household goods to fresh produce
In 2001 MUJI opened its largest flagship store in the world in Yurakucho, Tokyo. After a renovation and expansion in July 2017, the ground floor gained a fresh produce market, MUJI CAFE and MUJI BOOKS, completing a retail ecosystem that runs all the way from everyday goods to fresh food.
Eiji Suzuki (鈴木栄治), who ran the MUJI business at Seiyu, one of Japan's largest retail groups, gave the session “MUJI Brand Strategy and Running a Fresh Produce Store”, dissecting MUJI's marketing strategy through product development, store management and brand building.
Tokyu Hands: discovering great products and fresh inspiration
Tokyu Hands is a Japanese chain of DIY and lifestyle department stores. Its exceptional ability to develop SKUs sets it apart among Japanese retailers, and every store is built so that customers discover something good and feel the joy of creativity and inspiration.
Hideyuki Sato (佐藤秀幸), head of overseas business at Tokyu Group, walked participants through Tokyu Hands' SKU development and merchandise management.
Tsutaya Books: a new model for physical retail
Tsutaya Books is the premium bookstore brand of Culture Convenience Club (CCC). Built around the experience of books and combined with film, music and cafés, each store is a layered cultural space, and the chain has been named one of the 20 most beautiful bookstores in the world. Its best-known store, Daikanyama T-Site, opened in 2011 and has become a Tokyo landmark for the Daikanyama lifestyle. Tsutaya is more than a bookstore; it proposes a way of living.
A senior executive from CCC, Tsutaya's parent company, shared how the brand concept and its product design are developed.
Waseda University: the brand strategy and competitive edge of Japanese companies
Waseda is one of Japan's top universities and the alma mater of the founders and presidents of Sony, Nintendo, UNIQLO and many other famous Japanese companies. Professor Kazunari Uchida (内田和成) of Waseda Business School taught a class analysing the brand strategy and competitive advantages of Japanese companies in depth.
Professor Uchida previously served as President of BCG Japan and was named one of the world's 25 most influential consultants by Consulting Magazine in 2006. His books include Hypothesis-Driven Thinking and Corporate Strategy in the Network Economy. In class he explained the core competitiveness of Japanese companies through clear, concrete brand-building case studies, giving participants fresh perspectives on product, company and market in an era of consumer upgrading.
