Expanding Research Services and Building an Expert Network

「Although the effects of the commoditization of research services due to the recent expansion of the generative AI market, as well as the ongoing trend of encroachment into the service areas of our group through in-house information gathering and summarization and the democratization of competing services, continue, various measures including support for our field sales activities and a shift toward customized research with stronger customer demand resulted in Linkers Research studies increasing to 123, compared with 107 in the same period of the previous year.」

「Since the previous fiscal year, we have been working to establish an independent sales structure for OI研究所. However, sales activities proved more difficult than expected due to delays in hiring sales staff and increasingly complex operations, among other factors, resulting in 107 Linkers Research studies.」

「In Linkers Research, we have entered into contracts with and formed a network of more than 150 researchers specializing in various fields, as of the end of July 2024, enabling us to address a wide range of themes specified by companies.」

「In the research service, the effects of delays in sales activities due to a decline in popular themes for multi-client research, which had generated strong sales in the previous fiscal year, continued. In addition, as part of measures initiated at the beginning of the fiscal year to achieve independent future growth of the service, the sales structure was changed from the previous cross-selling model to one involving sales activities led independently by the division. However, sales activities proved more difficult than expected because the hiring of sales staff was delayed, making it difficult to win the number of projects originally planned. As a result, Linkers Research studies declined to 256, compared with 457 in the same period of the previous year.」

「In the research service, sales of multi-client research, which had generated strong sales in the previous fiscal year, were affected by delays in sales activities following a decline in popular themes. As a result, Linkers Research studies declined to 139, compared with 232 in the same period of the previous year, and sales remained sluggish.」

「In the research service, multi-client research, which had generated strong sales in the previous fiscal year, remained sluggish because promotional activities were delayed. As a result, Linkers Research studies declined to 59, compared with 93 in the same period of the previous year, and sales also remained sluggish.」

「In Linkers Research, we have entered into contracts with and formed a network of more than 200 researchers specializing in various fields, as of the end of July 2023, enabling us to address a wide range of themes specified by companies.」

「In the research service, sales of multi-client research, in which multiple companies are invited to participate and the results are provided exclusively to participating companies, were driven by increased sales of reports capturing trends such as technology developments related to carbon neutrality, which has attracted considerable attention in recent years, and biological sensing technologies. As a result, Linkers Research studies totaled 457, compared with 308 in the same period of the previous year, and sales remained strong.」

「Sales performed well alongside the increase in Linkers Research studies to 232, partly due to higher sales of reports designed around technology trends in carbon neutrality, which has attracted considerable attention in recent years, as well as biological sensing technologies.」

「In the research service, sales of multi-client research, in which multiple companies are invited to participate and the results are provided exclusively to participating companies, performed well. This was partly due to strong sales of reports designed around trends such as biological sensing technologies, which have attracted considerable attention in recent years. As a result, Linkers Research studies reached 93 and sales also performed well.」

「In Linkers Research, we have entered into contracts with and formed a network of more than 200 researchers specializing in various fields, as of the end of July 2022, enabling us to address a wide range of themes specified by companies.」