Case Study

Retail (Food): From Self-Taught EC Operation to Data-Driven Management
Achieving Rakuten +96% & Yahoo! +21% Sales Growth

Annual revenue ¥1.2 billion · Food Retailer | Breaking away from a one-person team with hands-on EC support
RetailFoodRakutenYahoo!EC ConsultingData-DrivenTalent Development

Client Overview

IndustryRetail: Food (Private Brand)
Annual RevenueApprox. ¥1.2 billion
Employees30
Services ProvidedEC Consulting / Creative Production

Situation & Challenges Before Engagement

Seeing the changes in demand during the COVID-19 pandemic as an opportunity, the company started selling its private brand (PB) products through EC. However, even months after the launch, sales remained stagnant. "I thought if we just put the products out there, they would sell. But reality was completely different," the manager recalled the confusion of that time.

There were three fundamental challenges. All were typical patterns that companies new to EC often fall into.

Meets Consulting's Approach

Meets Consulting started by visualizing "what the problem is" using numbers. Breaking it down into three KPIs: views, conversion rate, and average order value, we pinpointed the bottlenecks. As symbolized by the feedback, "I thought consultants were all talk, but I was surprised they actually rolled up their sleeves," we executed hands-on support not only in analysis but also in product page improvement, SEO measures, and banner production.

Phase 1 | Current State Analysis and Quantifying Challenges

Set 3 KPIs (views, conversion rate, and average order value) and clarified with data which metric was the biggest bottleneck. We determined the priority of improvements and formulated a plan to aim for maximum effect with limited resources.

Phase 2 | Marketing Strategy Formulation and Execution

Simultaneously advanced SEO measures (improving titles and descriptions) and revitalized product page creatives, driving up both traffic and conversion rates. We also formulated an annual sales plan leveraging mall events, strategically designing sales peaks.

Phase 3 | Hands-on Talent Development via Weekly Meetings

Our goal wasn't just to execute measures, but to enable the person in charge to run the PDCA cycle themselves. In the weekly meetings, we shared not only performance reviews but also the thought processes behind why things happened, steadily raising the EC literacy of the person in charge.

Results Achieved

Achieved sales growth of +96% year-on-year on Rakuten and +19% on Yahoo! Shopping. Growth has continued even during the support period, and the manager's words, "We are still in the middle of sales growth," indicate there is still room to grow.

Rakuten Sales Revenue
96%
YoY +
Yahoo! Sales Revenue
21%
YoY +

In parallel with numerical improvements, the person in charge's understanding and confidence in EC also grew significantly. Through our support, they acquired the "habit of thinking about why things sell, rather than just putting products out there," creating confidence for the next steps.

Client Testimonial

"I was running our EC operation through self-study, but it was very helpful to be taught EC perspectives and unique know-how. I thought consultants were all talk, but I was surprised they actually rolled up their sleeves and got to work. We are still in the middle of sales growth, so we look forward to your continued support."
— Retail (Food), Manager

Key Takeaways from This Case

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