Expanding the customer base and improving store traffic

「On the sales front, we held customer-reward initiatives regularly to encourage store visits and purchases at both physical stores and EC channels, while working to maintain and expand our customer base.」

「Specifically, in the apparel and related businesses, we will seek to broaden our customer base and strengthen store traffic by implementing communications initiatives through social media, live commerce and other channels with the aim of enhancing brand strength and awareness.」

「The YouTuber store-manager initiative performed well, but it took time for customers to become accustomed to the recent increase in the price per item. In addition, some imbalances in purchasing narrowed the range of customers, resulting in a decline in the number of purchasing customers. Other initiatives also failed to produce clear results, and the overall outcome was substantially below the previous year.」

「As a new initiative, we held an in-store event featuring a popular YouTuber and began selling apparel produced by the YouTuber. We continue to expand the number of stores carrying these products and to sell them.」

「On the sales side, we sought to encourage regular customers to visit by launching products from the “Spring Grand Advance-Sale Event,” while also developing coordinated-outfit proposals for new spring products and strengthening full-price sales of branded products.」

「In February, we also held the “Spring Grand Advance-Order Event,” targeting brand fans to attract customers and increase visit frequency.」

「On the product side, we expanded the assortment of higher-priced products primarily by increasing the launch of branded products. On the sales side, we encouraged regular customers to visit when high-priced items such as military jackets, leather jackets and sukajan jackets arrived, with the aim of increasing average spending per customer. We also introduced the following month’s new products to brand fans and sought to increase visit frequency by taking advance orders.」

「We held advance-sale events for brand-exclusive autumn products at each store and on our EC site to secure sales in August after the sale period.」

「In the First Business Division, whose principal business is selling mid-priced apparel at suburban shopping centers and malls, we sought to raise selling prices by strengthening branded products. We also pursued measures to attract more female customers, including selling character merchandise in stores and rolling out Chichikaka women’s products at 6 METHOD stores.」

「On the sales front, we promoted sales of higher-priced products by strengthening customer service, including distributing novelties with branded products, sending direct mail to regular customers to encourage store visits, and offering coordinated outfit proposals centered on bottoms at each store.」

「On the sales front, we worked to increase average spend per customer. At METHOD, we strengthened consultative selling through complete outfit proposals centered on bottoms and expanded sales of branded outerwear. At Ryuugi Assaku, we focused on selling higher-priced branded products centered on sukajan jackets.」

「On the product side, we sought to operate inventory efficiently through precise control of product launches while expanding sales by strengthening our original-brand products. On the sales side, we promoted full-price sales through enhanced customer service and worked to limit sale selling through non-discount customer-attraction initiatives, including distributing novelty gifts with branded products and sending direct mail to regular customers to encourage store visits.」

「On the product front, we expanded our original brands to strengthen their appeal to our core fan base. We also strengthened our approach to customers with expected demand by accelerating the launch of national-brand products and promoting advance sales.」

「Against this backdrop, we pursued defensive measures such as withdrawing from unprofitable stores and reducing costs, while also implementing the measures described below to secure sales and support future growth.」

「Against this backdrop, in response to a situation in which company-wide sales growth could not be expected, we pursued defensive measures such as curbing merchandise purchases. At the same time, we worked to secure sales by implementing the measures described below at our operating stores and elsewhere.」

「We continued to pursue customer service and store development aimed at improving customer satisfaction under our “customer first” policy, so that customers would continue to visit our stores.」

「Our sales policy for the current fiscal year was “customer first.” We worked to provide service and create stores that customers would choose, thereby raising customer satisfaction and ultimately generating sales. In stores, actively encouraging customers to enter improved the entry rate. Inside the stores, proactive and courteous communication with customers improved the purchase rate, while distributing coupons at the register helped improve the repeat-visit rate.」

「For the current fiscal year, our sales policy is once again based on the principle of “customer first.” We are conducting sales activities with the goals of understanding customer needs, increasing the purchase rate and improving the repeat-purchase rate.」

「As a result, same-store sales for the fiscal year were 106.7% of the previous year, while the gross profit margin was 46.9%, 1.1 percentage points above the previous year, indicating steady improvement.」

「As a specific initiative, on the sales front we prepared a “Sales Strategy Guide,” a monthly tool providing detailed explanations of sales strategies, including “core products,” “in-store presentation” and “promotional methods.” By rolling it out across all stores, we strengthened and raised sales capabilities company-wide and accumulated common know-how, contributing to the sales improvement seen in the latter half of the second quarter.」

「Against this backdrop, on the sales front we made improving store staff awareness around the theme of “maximizing the time spent engaging with customers” a priority and sought to strengthen customer service. We also held goal-setting training for all store managers to improve the execution of sales initiatives at each store.」

「Against this backdrop, on the sales front we worked to ensure that all stores adopted a customer-focused approach to store development and customer service, and undertook to rebuild our strength in careful, attentive sales service, one of our core advantages. In addition, to drive company-wide sales growth, we designated key stores and carried out intensive initiatives relating to product assortments, promotional activities and in-store displays.」

「Against this backdrop, on the sales front we designated key stores to drive company-wide sales growth and carried out intensive initiatives relating to product assortments, promotional activities and in-store displays, working to strengthen and improve our sales capabilities.」

「On the sales front, we selected core products to serve as key sales drivers and strengthened sales by undertaking promotional activities using posters and other materials, as well as improving in-store displays at each location. Although some initiatives produced results, they were not sufficient to lift overall sales.」

「As measures to increase the number of fans of our stores, we continuously offered 10% off the second and subsequent items purchased. In March, we also ran a campaign offering non-sale novelty gifts. By strengthening our customer services in these ways, we worked to improve store traffic.」