Ostance Inc. provided qualitative research support to LIXIL Corporation for the market development of its multifunctional shower head, "Eco Aqua Shower SPA," targeting men.

Facing the challenge of an unclear effective approach for the male demographic, with internal uncertainty about the acceptance of the "beauty" concept, Ostance conducted in-depth interviews with 8 men aged 40-60. The research extracted the core insight that the motivation was not "to look better (positive pursuit)" but "to avoid being criticized or to resolve complexes (negative resolution)," establishing a new appeal axis of "pore care as grooming." Based on the research findings, improvements to advertising banners have led to increased results compared to the same period last year.

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Summary

Challenge

Considering "beauty" and "grooming" as appeal concepts for the male market of a multifunctional shower head, but the definitions were ambiguous internally, leading to a lack of direction on "which aspect of the product to emphasize."

Evidence was needed for internal promotion, including target selection.

Measures

Proposed and designed qualitative research, conducted with 8 men aged 40-60.

Constructed a research design capable of extracting insights from differences by comparatively analyzing both purchasers and non-purchasers.

Organized research results using a 2-axis framework to identify priority target groups and the direction of appeals.

Results

Discovered the insight of grooming consciousness unique to middle-aged and elderly men as "negative resolution," clarifying the need for an approach different from traditional beauty appeals.

Identified priority target groups to whom product appeals are likely to reach and revealed communication challenges for each target.

Visualized the existence of a "blue ocean market" among men and their latent needs, obtaining guidelines for marketing strategy.

Research Design Prioritizing Qualitative over Quantitative

The initiative between LIXIL and Ostance began with a design different from the initial assumption. LIXIL initially approached with a need to "verify the effectiveness of male-oriented appeals through quantitative surveys." However, Ostance determined that "the accuracy of quantitative question design would decrease without a deep understanding of the customer's reality" and proposed prioritizing qualitative research.

The background for this decision was the ambiguity in the definition of the word "beauty," which varied among individuals and within the company. It was believed that without understanding the psychological structure of how middle-aged and elderly men perceive the act of "doing beauty care with a shower head," appropriate questions and appeal axes could not be designed.

The qualitative research involved in-depth interviews with 4 individuals who had not purchased a shower head (with high awareness of grooming care) and 4 who had experience purchasing shower heads priced at 20,000 yen or more. By comparing the two groups, the design allowed for simultaneous verification of the psychological process leading to purchase and the effectiveness of appeals. By designing a structure that would yield input for subsequent measures regardless of the outcome, reliable insights were derived even in a highly uncertain market.

Inquiries about this initiative can be made here.

The Essence and Challenges of Middle-aged and Elderly Men's Grooming Consciousness Derived from Research

The biggest insight revealed through qualitative research was that the essence of middle-aged and elderly men's grooming consciousness lies not in "wanting to look better (positive pursuit)" but in "being able to spend time without being criticized or being conscious of complexes (negative resolution)."

This finding necessitated an approach fundamentally different from the framework of traditional beauty and skincare appeals. It was found that approaches focusing on "maintaining cleanliness" or "caring for areas of concern" were psychologically more acceptable than the proactive and positive approach associated with the word "beauty."

Furthermore, a structure was confirmed where existing care items (skincare, scalp care, body odor care, etc.) were perceived as "symptomatic treatment," while the multifunctional shower head in this case was recognized as "fundamental treatment."

Ostance has extensive experience in supporting marketing for the senior demographic and can provide multifaceted insights in the domain of "Seniors x Digital." We do not merely provide research results. We provide consistent, supportive assistance as a member of your team, from insights to concrete results. Please feel free to contact us.

*Marketing research materials can be downloaded here.

Materials Here

About Ostance Inc.

Ostance, under the vision "A life with enjoyment in aging," develops services for the senior demographic. We also provide comprehensive support to companies developing services for seniors, covering business development/system development/customer acquisition & growth support/CRM design/CS support/research & analysis/user co-creation.

Ostance Corporate Services: https://ostance.com/services/business/

About "Senior DX Lab," a Research and Study Institution

"Senior DX Lab" has a mission to discover and propose unknown insights for creating positive changes in the lives of seniors through the utilization of IT. Ostance Inc., which operates "Shumi-bito Club," jointly promotes research with experts in senior research, based on the behavioral data and problem-solving knowledge of seniors that we possess.

"Senior DX Lab": https://ostance.com/lab/

Contact Us

For material requests or inquiries regarding this case study or our services

Ostance Inc. Public Relations

Email: [email protected]

TEL: 03-6420-0990

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  • Source: PR TIMES
  • Category: press_release