Kobo Ogawa (Ogawa Kogei)

A woodworking manufacturer in Fuchu City, Hiroshima Prefecture, requested to launch their own e-commerce site to sell their private brand directly. The town has a history of over 300 years in wooden furniture manufacturing as a high-end furniture production area, and the company was mainly involved in OEM products. The chairman of the company, who is highly motivated in product development and works hard to create new products every day, has created a product that has been a big hit, the "buckwheat noodle cotton stick. We proposed the provision of services to add further value in addition to the creation of a trade name, logo, and website that would convey the high level of skill he had cultivated over many years of furniture making.

I want to launch a private brand and try my hand at direct sales."

The company mainly manufactured wooden furniture on an OEM basis, and among its products was a "buckwheat noodle stick" that sold several thousand units per month, which the company wanted to market as its own product.

Creation of "unique" features that are not limited to site production alone

In addition to creating our own e-commerce site, we felt that we needed a service that would add value only available here. Soba-uchi (buckwheat noodle making) is a skill that improves with practice, so it must be something that can be used for a long time. Therefore, the products must be usable for a long time. Ogawa Kougei's products were made with the "high precision and high durability" that had been cultivated over many years of furniture making, so they were designed for professionals who enjoy making buckwheat noodles. We proposed to add a service that would please these professionals.

In addition to the creation of a trade name, logo, and website, new services were devised.

At the same time as launching the e-commerce site, we created a new trade name, logo, etc. from scratch. Since the products were intended for professional use, we asked a master soba maker to help us film scenes of him actually using the products so that the quality of the products could be conveyed. We also included extensive Q&A about the product. We also suggested the need for a personalized imprinting service and a maintenance kit for the Sobauchi cotton buds, adding services that could only be offered here.

Creation of an internal structure actively carried out by the company itself

With orders coming in steadily, the company has been proactive in creating an internal structure by moving inventory management and order fulfillment to digital. Efficient resource utilization has been incorporated.

Obtaining stable sales and expanding to other stores

After launching the website and continuing to promote the product through web advertising and other means, sales grew steadily as expected. From there, we expanded our sales channels by listing our products on amazon and the Rakuten market. We were able to achieve stable sales.

Creating jobs for the next generation of makers

Due to the steady sales and needs of the product, we also need to increase the number of manufacturing hands. We would like to help create jobs in this area.