This article reflects information as of 2020. For the latest details, please contact us.
Written by: Tomohiro Koizumi, Representative Director, tentus inc.
New Business Inquiries
"We're considering launching a new business, but we have no idea what to start with, or where…"
I love inquiries like that.
We've received all sorts of inquiries and, matched to each challenge, provided services in a wide variety of forms.
Each one was a highly challenging and truly enjoyable project, but such new-business inquiries can be broadly divided into three categories.
1. Taking Offline Services Online
In the past, we've had inquiries from companies that handle insert flyers and companies doing physical retail at brick-and-mortar stores.
The result is often building a mail-order site or a service site, but taking an existing in-house business online isn't a particularly high-difficulty project.
Rather than building the system, the most important consideration is "how do we bring people to that site?" — and I feel we devote a large share of our effort to working with the client on a communication strategy grounded in the user's perspective, more than on system design.
To put it simply:
When a neighborhood tofu shop builds an EC site, before building the EC site itself, let's first think together about what value that site can offer users.
That's the kind of thing.
2. Entering a New Business Area
We sometimes receive inquiries when a client is newly entering a service that competitors already offer.
Here too, more than building the system, it's important to perform "competitor analysis" and "brand analysis," clarify the client's strengths and positioning, and then work out the service details.
In this case, above all, the allocation of "what to spend the most money on" is crucial:
・Spending a huge amount on site production so that the promotion budget gets squeezed.
・Spending big on promotion, so that the actual service site ends up shabby.
To avoid such sad outcomes, we propose several effective promotion strategies and highly flexible system-investment options early in the project.
3. Delivering an Entirely New Value to the World
We also receive many inquiries about taking on fields that don't yet exist in the world, or have only just begun.
Recently we've had inquiries about subscription-model services, sharing-type services, launching communities, and the like.
For projects like these, it's essential that the project team firmly recognizes that no one knows the right answer.
Because it's a new service, what was decided yesterday can be overturned today.
Because it's a new service, unexpected pitfalls like laws can surface midway.
Because it's a new service, user reactions can be completely different from what was assumed.
For new services, a team composition that can flexibly handle these daily-arising troubles is very important.
Understanding of the business, of the market, of the product, of the system, of user insight, of security…
It's very rare to have a single person versed in all of these on the team, and hiring for each necessary function takes enormous cost and time.
In this way, at the launch of a new business, effectively using outside members like us to compose the team lets you effectively deploy members with the specialties needed for each phase, enabling flexible service operation.
Next time I'll introduce the approach we take when providing launch support.
(2/2) New Business Launch Support — PDCA at Launch
Look forward to it!