Ostance and Sonova Japan Host Hearing Aid Event for Seniors, Driving Purchases of High-Consideration Products Through Community Engagement

Ostance Inc., the operator of the senior-focused social network 'Shumito Club,' has partnered with Sonova Japan Inc. (of the 'Phonak' hearing aid brand) to host the 'Hearing Care Social Gathering,' an event for trying and consulting on hearing aids. This initiative serves as a practical case study for businesses that handle products requiring hands-on experience or those with high barriers to consultation, common in the senior healthcare and wellness sectors. It demonstrates how to create customer touchpoints and drive purchases through a community-oriented approach.

Background: Acquisition Challenges for 'Sensitive-Need Products' for Seniors Senior healthcare products like hearing aids, glasses, and mobility aids have high social demand. However, it is a field where promotional briefings and trial sessions often fail to lead to the next step in the customer journey. Marketing managers frequently face the following challenges:

- Difficulty generating leads for products related to sensitive personal issues. - Customers are hesitant to voice their concerns, stalling the consideration process. - Long consideration periods due to the high cost, despite the significant impact on quality of life. - Seniors' unique resistance to advertising with a strong sales pitch. - Difficulty converting trial event attendees into follow-up actions like consultation appointments or store visits.

For businesses facing this issue of 'creating contact but failing to advance consideration,' conventional advertising and one-off briefings are increasingly insufficient.

Strategy Overview: Designing an 'Empathy-Driven' Event to Encourage Senior Purchases The event successfully guided participants from simple awareness to concrete consideration and purchase by creating a 'Learn' → 'Empathize' → 'Try & Talk' flow.

1. 'Learn & Empathize': Lowering Psychological Barriers with Expert Knowledge and Role Model Testimonials A mini-seminar provided foundational knowledge on hearing care and information on the latest hearing aids. Furthermore, hearing testimonials from actual hearing aid users created an atmosphere where participants felt inspired to 'also lead an active life.'

2. 'Try & Talk': Advancing Consideration Through Combined Trial and Group Discussion Following the trial session, a social gathering (roundtable discussion) was held for participants. By making it easier to share concerns that are typically difficult to voice, the event moved attendees from a state of 'just being curious' to proactive consideration. This resulted in cases where participants proceeded to purchase after the event.

Key Points in Designing Events for Seniors This initiative went beyond merely hosting an event; it designed a senior marketing strategy by combining the following elements:

- An 'event co-hosting model' and a 'social gathering × lecture format' to lower participation hurdles. - 'Post-event touchpoint design' to ensure the experience doesn't end at the trial.

By collaborating with companies under the banner of an 'Official Shumito Club Event,' it is possible to reduce the commercial feel and lower participation barriers. Leveraging the community's trust helps overcome seniors' characteristic cautiousness, creating touchpoints that lead to purchases.

One-Stop Support System Ostance offers end-to-end support, from event planning and design, senior-targeted customer acquisition, MCing and on-site management, to speaker arrangement and designing the path to store visits. Marketing managers who handle products where store visits and trials are key to purchase consideration and who face challenges in acquiring senior customers for consultations or seminars are encouraged to get in touch.