The Brief

Do you have a favorite place that you always visit? Why do you want to go there? Think about the reasons you go there. Because it somehow calms me down, because I can meet people I like, because I can concentrate, because it has become a habit as a matter of course without thinking about anything. I'm sure there are many reasons.
Have you ever heard of the concept of the "third place"? It is a concept proposed by the American sociologist Leo Oldenburg (1989), and it refers to a place that is neither your home (first place), nor the place where you usually spend most of your time for example school, office (second place), but a place where you are willing to follow your heart without being bound by obligation or necessity. Some people seek an exchange-type space where they can gather for the purpose of socializing, while others seek their own private place where they can relax.
Kinotoya was founded in Sapporo, Japan, and has been creating stores to realize happiness for the creators, the eaters, and the community through the provision of sweets. In October 2021, we renovated our Sapporo Daimaru store to convey our attitude of constant humble effort, our desire to deliver high quality products to our customers, and the warmth and peace of mind of Kinotoya's unique handmade products. We would like to transform the 11 Kinotoya stores in Hokkaido into a special space where customers feel comfortable and attached to the store, and a place they want to visit again.
Please tell us about your favorite things and spaces. Let's think together about the services and store development that are necessary for Kinotoya to become a brand that continues to be loved by its customers.

Category

【Better life & Wellbeing】
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The Background

Kinotoya, a Western-style confectionery store located mainly in Sapporo, was born in 1983 from the strong belief that "cakes make people happy. Based on the three corporate philosophies of realizing the happiness of all employees and their families, providing satisfaction and excitement to customers, and contributing to the community and society along with the development of Kinotoya, we have been aiming for a trinity of management that simultaneously achieves the happiness of employees, satisfaction of customers, and the development of Kinotoya. We believe in the importance of people-to-people relationships.
With Kinotoya's sweets, we hope to provide heart-warming happy times and delicious impressions, and to be loved and needed by the people of the community. To this end, the most important thing is to provide satisfaction and excitement to our customers with "delicious sweets" and "warm hospitality. We are grateful for the encounters we have had with all the people involved in Kinotoya, and we believe it is our mission to develop together with the people of the community.
In 2020, we further strengthened our structure by dividing our roles into two companies: Kinotoya Corporation, which handles confectionery store sales and cake delivery and mail order businesses in the Sapporo area, and K Confects Corporation, which mainly handles confectionery manufacturing. We also deliver products that are familiar to everyone, such as Hokkaido Milk Cookies Sapporo Nougakko and Elm no mori, a product certified by Hokkaido University.
https://www.kinotoya.com/

The Challenge

When you hear the word "brand," what kinds of things come to mind? A long time ago, cattle owners branded their cattle to show their ownership. In the past, a brand was seen as "a name, word, design, symbol, or other characteristics that distinguishes and identifies one seller's goods or services from those of another," in other words, a "thing" or a "concept. In the recent trend, it is also said that a brand is the customer's "experience" itself related to a certain product or company.

For example, let's say you wanted to create fun memories and went on a hot spring trip with your friends. You saw the happy faces and comments of actual visitors on social networking sites and became interested; you looked at the website and found that the prices and services were easy to understand and reservations were easy to make. On the day before your stay, they provided you with directions to the inn and recommended places and events along the way. When you actually stayed there, all the employees treated you with smiles and provided you with food according to your taste preferences. When you left, souvenirs were prepared for you, and they even arranged for you to be taken to the station. Customers who have this kind of experience will have a special feeling for the onsen ryokan, and they themselves will send it out on social networking sites and recommend it by word of mouth.

In other words, through the total "brand experience" before, during, during and after the purchase, the better the experience, the more the consumer likes the subject and becomes emotionally invested in it, becoming a co-creator who grows the "brand" together. The better the experience, the more the consumer likes it and becomes emotionally invested in it. By creating a relationship, we can continue to have good transactions with our customers over the long term. It is not a matter of accumulating temporary sales, but rather the strong feelings (loyalty) that sprout in customers when they are truly satisfied with our products and services, which will lead to more supporters in the future.
Kinotoya is rooted in Sapporo and has developed into a well-loved presence in the community. In order for the Kinotoya brand to continue to build a deep relationship with its customers, what kind of experiences and relationships through service and store development are necessary? Let's think about this together.

Schedules

4/9(10:00-17:00) ：Kick off event
4/23 (10:00-17:00) ：Workshop
5/7 (10:00-17:00) ：Workshop
5/14 (13:00-17:00) ： Demonstration Practice
5/28 (13:00-17:00) ： Final Demonstration + Networking

* In addition to the above schedule, there will be a team meeting once a week .

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