Testimonial

Hello, this is the customer case interview team at Orinas Inc.

This time, we spoke with Mr. Tsuji, the representative of Tsuji Shoten Co., Ltd., which was founded in 1910 and has a 110-year history, and has a store in a great location right in front of Heian Shrine in Kyoto, and Mr. Yoshida, who is in charge of the website.

Many companies are looking to promote digital marketing when they launch a new business, but Tsuji Shoten's efforts to promote niche products such as "kaishi" (paper casings) and "paper cloth" from Kyoto to users around the world offer many lessons that other companies doing business with similar niche products or targeting specific demographics may find useful.

The Launch of the Kaishi Business Prompted the Start of Digital Marketing

Orinas: Mr. Tsuji and Mr. Yoshida, thank you very much for taking the time to speak with us today. We look forward to working with you.

First of all, could you please tell us again about your company's business?

Tsuji: Yes. Since its founding in the Meiji era, Tsuji Shoten has been producing the paper that is the base for the gold and silver threads used in Nishijin textiles and other textiles. However, as the textile industry has declined, demand for the base paper for gold and silver threads has decreased. So, a paper manufacturer we have had a long-standing relationship with introduced us to a company that makes kaishi, and we began producing our own kaishi. Sales of kaishi have grown steadily compared to gold and silver base paper, but there are still far fewer people who use and know about kaishi, and with the COVID-19 pandemic, many events such as tea ceremonies have been canceled, and sales of kaishi have become quite difficult.

Due to all these factors, we decided to advertise using the web and other media. Increasing our digital exposure will lead to increased demand in the future, and we have felt the need to focus on this for some time, so in a sense, the COVID-19 pandemic gave us the push we needed. We were introduced to your company when we were exploring what kind of digital marketing we could implement.

Tsuji Shoten Product Image

Orinas: When it comes to advertising your products, for example, by advertising online or posting on social media, was there anything that you decided on as your "go-to" method?

Tsuji: That's true. However, advertising, even online, costs a fair amount of money, so I thought that I couldn't invest generously from the start in something that I didn't know how effective it would be.

In particular, kaishi paper is not well known to begin with, with people asking, "What is this?" or "What is it used for?", so there was concern that even if we advertised it, it would be unlikely to attract a huge number of people.

Orinas: What exactly did you do as part of your efforts?

Tsuji: When we first consulted, we had no idea whether using Instagram was really the best option. However, as we talked with Orinas, they suggested that Instagram might be a good option if we wanted to steadily increase awareness without spending a lot of money from the start, so we decided to start there.

I Realized Through Comments and Direct Mail That I Was Able to Acquire a New Customer Base

Orinas: What role does Yoshida-san play?

Yoshida: I manage the website and social media.

Orinas: Now that you've started using Instagram as part of your collaboration with our company, what effects have you actually felt and what are your honest thoughts about our company?

Yoshida: Once we started using Instagram, our followers steadily increased, and among them, many new customers became interested in our company. I felt that it was effective in terms of acquiring new customers. Also, during our regular meetings, Orinas was very helpful in explaining how to take Instagram photos and examples of branding images, along with specific reasons why it was best to do so.

Orinas: How specifically did you check the reactions from customers?

Yoshida: I read the comments and direct messages I received on posts from people who were interested. I was also advised to post more than just product images, and when I actually posted a post about how to use the kaishi, I got a really good response.

Orinas: I see, thank you. What about you, Mr. Tsuji?

Tsuji: The number of followers is increasing quite slowly, but it was very interesting to be able to get up close and personal with the people who actually use the kaishi.

Orinas: Do you mean your impressions of this new initiative?

Tsuji: That's right. Until now, we only had contact with customers who visited our online shop, so it was difficult to know who was actually using our products, but it was a stroke of luck that we were able to find out through Instagram who had become interested in our company and how they were actually using it. I assumed that most of the people involved were in the tea industry, but it was also helpful for me to see how the product is used in a variety of ways within the tea world.

We Want to Propose a Wide Range of Uses for Kaishi Through Our Social Media Accounts

Orinas: Do you have any plans to spread this use of kaishi to this type of people in the future?

Tsuji: I think that if we limit it to "this is something to be used at tea ceremonies," it will inevitably limit its reach. Some people may become interested in the world of tea, but if we think of it as a business, I think it would be better to communicate how it can be used by anyone.

Orinas: That's right. It's rare to think of using kaishi outside of tea ceremonies.

Tsuji: That's right. In fact, even those who receive kaishi may not know how to use it. I attend tea ceremonies, so when people ask me if I ever use kaishi, I answer yes, but when they ask how it's used outside of tea ceremonies, most people don't know. I hope to provide information that will make people like that, as well as people who don't know anything about the tea ceremony or kaishi, think, "That's an interesting way to use it," and that products that support such uses will be released.

Orinas: Is there anything you would like to see us do in the future?

Tsuji: I'm very grateful for the instruction you gave me on how to use Instagram. However, kaishi is a very special product, so I'd like to consult with you again about new promotions that take into account its unique characteristics.

Orinas: Thank you very much. We can provide comprehensive support for anything web-related, not just social media, so we look forward to working with you.

Lastly, if you have the opportunity in the future, would you recommend our company? If so, what would you recommend us for?

Tsuji: I would recommend them because they have a proven track record and will tackle your requests sincerely. Also, in our case, we asked them to advertise a minor product that is not well known, so I think the advertising effect was very slow. Therefore, I would also recommend them to companies that use different products, as they may see advertising effects more quickly.

Orinas: Thank you very much. This concludes the interview. Mr. Tsuji and Mr. Yoshida, thank you very much for today.

Finally

I think that every company faces hesitation and conflict when deciding to venture into new fields, such as digital marketing. Tsuji Shoten realized this with a minimalist start, operating a social media account, rather than investing in something with a large budget like advertising distribution.

When we actually looked at the account, we could see that not only were the product images beautiful, but that mutual communication was occurring with customers, with comments such as "I want to imitate how you use it" and "This is how I use it."

I felt that the flexible attitude of the two of them, wanting to make new proposals to new customers, is what has fostered this interactive account.

This was brought to you by the Orinas Inc. Customer Case Study Interview Team.