XICA x ITO EN Wins First Place at "Marketing Agenda 2026" Award | Revealing the Inside Story of "Oi Ocha" Evolution in the Inflation Era

XICA Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; President & CEO: Yoshiaki Hirao, hereinafter XICA) presented at "Marketing Agenda 2026," Japan's premier marketing conference held from June 2nd to 4th, 2026, alongside Mitsumasa Shida, Executive Officer and General Manager of the Marketing Department at ITO EN, LTD.

Their joint session, "The Evolution of 'Oi Ocha' to Conquer the Inflation Era ~ Assetizing 'Decision Making' with AI x Data Science ~," received high praise from attendees and won first place in the event's awards.

A detailed event report summarizing the full scope of these advanced initiatives is now available on our company website.

Event Report: https://xica.net/xicaron/marketing-agenda-2026-report/

● Mitsumasa Shida, Executive Officer and General Manager of the Marketing Department, ITO EN, LTD. (Right)

Joined ITO EN, LTD. in April 1998. After being assigned to the Product Planning Department of the Marketing Division in 2004, he was responsible for product planning for Oi Ocha, the tea brand TEASʼTEA, and the healthy mineral barley tea "Kenko Mineral Mugicha." Appointed General Manager of the Marketing Department in May 2019 and Executive Officer in May 2022.

https://www.itoen.co.jp/

● Yoshiaki Hirao, President & CEO, XICA Co., Ltd. (Left)

Graduated from the Faculty of Policy Studies at Keio University. Driven by the experience of his father's company going bankrupt during his university years, he discovered the potential of management support through statistical analysis, which he encountered in college. He founded XICA Co., Ltd. in 2012. He has supported over 300 companies, primarily large enterprises, contributing to reproducible business growth as a "data science firm that creates business growth spirals." Author of "The Data Analysis Mindset for Targeted Sales Growth: 6 Steps of 'Data x Sensitivity' for Continuous Success" (Cross Media Publishing).

https://xica.net/

Event Report Highlights

Amidst headwinds such as rising raw material costs and the "Japanese Tea Crisis," the No. 1 selling brand "Oi Ocha" is shifting from a defensive stance to an "offensive" data-driven strategy.

We explored the true drivers of "Oi Ocha" customer loyalty and how AI-powered dialogue can anticipate inflation and market changes to create "winning scenarios." The session delved into the company's challenge of transforming evidence-based decisions into "organizational intelligence" to maintain marketing with a consistent "tangible feel."

【Unraveling Loyalty Drivers】

Contrary to initial hypotheses, it was visualized that "product variety" rather than "taste" was the true driver of customer loyalty. The process of uncovering the chasm for heavy users and effective cross-purchase steps was introduced.

【AI Scenario Analysis and Countermeasures】

In response to an increasingly uncertain market, AI was used to conduct a comprehensive analysis of 191 scenarios. The conclusion that "simply surviving as a brand is not enough" led to a new strategy focused on "category growth" and pioneering the future of the industry (such as the National GI Japanese Tea Initiative).

【Future Evolution through Decision Management】

A demonstration of the management platform "XICA*AIP (AI Platform)" was presented, which systematizes analysis, decision-making, execution, and learning in an end-to-end process. Featuring a demo of human-AI "sparring," it presented a future where dispersed organizational thinking is aligned and decision logs are assetized.

XICA has connected its honed data science capabilities to the evolution of decision-making, redefining itself as an "AI Decision Engine." Moving beyond mere efficiency in a single domain, XICA will continue to implement new decision-making infrastructure to empower marketers and executives to make their next moves with confidence.

Company Information

XICA Co., Ltd. is a data science firm with the purpose of "creating a fair world full of blooming talent." It is a group of professionals who support the sustainable growth of companies through scientific approaches, with the greatest strength being the "intelligence of human resources" comprising leading domestic and international data scientists, researchers, and strategic consultants.

Company Name: XICA Co., Ltd.

Representative: Yoshiaki Hirao, President & CEO

Location: Roppongi T-Cube 14F, 3-1-1 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo

Established: 2012

URL: https://xica.net/company/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/XICA.japan/

LinkedIn: https://jp.linkedin.com/company/xica-co

X: https://x.com/xica_official

Service Information (AI Decision Engine "XICA")

Implements an "AI Decision Engine" for winning management by transforming corporate decision-making into organizational intelligence. Utilizing high-precision data science, it unravels complex business mechanisms and supports the entire process from "making data meaningful" to "assetizing organizational intelligence." Through high applicability combined with the proprietary AI platform "XICA*AI Platform," it provides management infrastructure that structures companies for "continuous winning" with asset value and reproducibility.

Brand Name: XICA

Service Overview: Provision of decision support systems, next-generation management OS, and strategy consulting based on data science.

Major Achievements: Numerous achievements in data science-based decision support for major national clients in leading domestic consumer goods, food, retail, telecommunications, and finance sectors.

* The names and logos of XICA are registered trademarks or trademarks of XICA Co., Ltd. in Japan and other countries.

* Other company names and product names mentioned are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.