Braze and Waseda University's Institute for Consumer Behavior Hold Interim Report Meeting on Industry-Academia Collaboration Project

Braze, a customer engagement platform, announced that it has begun joint marketing research experiments with the Institute for Consumer Behavior at Waseda University (Director: Go Moriguchi). Approximately one year after the announcement, an 'Interim Report Meeting' was held to share the progress of each research theme.

This project is deeply linked to the 'Braze Cares' initiative, which aims to contribute to society by connecting companies and universities through theory. Led by Ken Konno (Principal Customer Success Manager at Braze), the project is expanding its activities by increasing the number of participating companies. For marketing departments, this provides the significant benefit of prioritizing investments and maximizing ROI through the theorization of insights based on real data. For universities, there is a strong demand in academia for theorization using real-world corporate data, and Braze believes that bridging this gap between industry and academia holds great social significance.

With the goal of theorizing, publishing, and implementing customer engagement strategies, the interim report meeting shared highly interesting verification results based on real consumer behavior in the field:

Highlights of the Interim Report Meeting (Key Research Presentations) - 'Do people move when they see a crying face?': The impact of emojis in recruitment emails [Speaker: Prof. Togawa, Sophia University / Partner: Sharefull] Statistically significant results showed that using the '😭' emoji in newsletters increased click-through rates by approximately 1.26 times compared to a smiley face, suggesting the influence of emotional contagion. - The impact of 'transparent space around in-app pop-ups' [Speaker: Prof. Ishii, Waseda University (Read by Ken Konno, Braze) / Partner: Sharefull] Contrary to the hypothesis that pop-ups with margins are preferred, full-screen (no margin) ads actually showed higher click-through and conversion rates, a trend particularly notable among women. - 'Differences in consumer response based on button shape' [Speaker: Prof. Moriguchi / Partners: Sazaby League, TOMORROWLAND] While US studies suggest rounded corners are better, experiments in Japan showed that 'square (sharp)' buttons often resulted in higher click-through rates. - 'Retargeting timing for cart and browsing abandonment' [Speaker: Prof. Moriguchi, Waseda University / Partner: TOMORROWLAND] Reminders sent too early can create a 'feeling of being watched,' potentially lowering purchase rates. The team is planning to verify optimal timing and frequency. - 'Response to coordinate generation experience' [Speaker: Prof. Nishii, Aoyama Gakuin University / Partners: Sazaby League, TOMORROWLAND] The team is testing whether providing an 'active experience' where users combine clothes on the site increases attachment and subsequent purchase intent. - 'The effect of video pauses and scent' [Speaker: Prof. Sunaga, Waseda University / Partners: Sazaby League, TOMORROWLAND] The team is testing how intentional 'pauses' in video ads create a sense of luxury, and how subtle changes in store scent can positively influence dwell time and purchasing behavior.

Future Outlook Braze and the Institute for Consumer Behavior will continue their data-driven verification of hypotheses to solve customer engagement challenges. They aim to deepen these insights and publish academic papers in the coming years.