The secret of Muji’s annual sales of tens of billions: Make the product the best it can be.

The secret of Muji’s annual sales of tens of billions: Make the product the best

Muji is a strange case, without logo, advertising, spokesperson, complicated colors and styles , but its performance is still soaring: from 2010 to 2012, its global net sales increased from 169.7 billion yen (approximately 10.78 billion yuan) to an unprecedented 187.7 billion yen (approximately 11.92 billion yuan). What is it like? Product secrets?

1. Insight into consumer needs

In 2003, MUJI implemented a development plan called "Observation". The development team would directly visit consumers and observe their daily lives. Every corner of the room and even every product was photographed one by one. The photos were then submitted for discussion and analysis to tap into potential consumer demand.

2. Changes remain the same, convenience of use

The wall-mounted CD player designed by Naoto Fukasawa, the current sales champion of MUJI electronic products, was discovered by Kanai in his early years. Unlike ordinary CD players that always lie flat, the CD player designed by Naoto Fukasawa is placed on the wall like a square ventilation fan. The switch is not a conventional button, but a hanging rope.

3. Perverted requirements for details

Standardized display not only requires neatness, fullness, and impact, but also requires consideration of customer shopping habits. For example, all pen caps in the stationery area must face the same direction, and the caps and labels of various bottles of beauty and skin care products must also face the same direction. Bath sponges and bath sprays hung high must be organized by the clerk using cardboard as a ruler. , maintaining the same level.

4. Pay attention to every consumer and demand perfection

The management secrets about the explosive performance are all in Masaaki Kanai’s mobile phone mailbox. Among them, the most cherished email comes from the "Life Quality Research Institute". Each customer's feedback will be sent directly to his or her mailbox.

? These are things that customers don’t know. They don’t know that the president will personally read these opinions. I read these comments every second of the day. ? Kanai Masaaki said slyly. The peak number of such mail arrivals was on Wednesday, when the total number exceeded 100, and there were usually 30 to 50. Some people accuse a certain style of clothes drying rack that it will become brittle and break due to ultraviolet radiation, and some people complain that the latest slippers have too small heads

5. The concept of environmental protection and moderation

Japan is a A country with very few resources, so many of their country’s designs are known for following a minimalist philosophy. Including the most popular Zen Buddhism in Japan, it also emphasizes "minimalist life". In our current words, it is "extremely simple life". Regarding MUJI's concept, its design director Hara Kenzai once described it in "Design in Design":? The pursuit is not "this is good", but "this is good".

It assigns value to acceptable qualities: moderation, concessions, and transcendent rationality, which can be called "global rational value", a philosophy that advocates the use of resources and objects from an extremely rational perspective. The MUJI concept points out the "basic" and "universal" nature of daily life. ?

6. Minimalist and convenient design

The pursuit of product essence and convenience makes MUJI’s product development process quite alternative. Take Daiei, a leading Japanese retail company, as an example. Its own brand, SAVING, only cooperates with manufacturers when developing it. But MUJI is different. Each product needs to be checked at all levels from planning, design, manufacturing to sales. , all with the participation of designers. Even if the product design plan is finally approved, the product will still face more stringent hurdles. An external advisory committee composed of Japan's top designers strictly discusses whether the product conforms to MUJI's philosophy.

Rigid indicators include that products cannot follow fashion trends to avoid becoming obsolete after following the trend, and products must be able to enhance the brand image, etc. Only with the collective approval of an external advisory committee can a product be finally put on the shelves. ?The most common reason for elimination is that the designer does not consider whether the product can be sold. ? Masaaki Kanai explained.

Kanei Masaaki placed an unusual emphasis on moderation and anti-epidemic. Masaaki Kanai believes that excessive consumption will lead to the gradual disappearance of many simple things. As the opposite of fashion, MUJI pursues long-lasting, highly universal designs and materials, and appropriate prices, without adding designs and colors that are highly addictive.

In order to drive MUJI to achieve "convenience of use", Masaaki Kanai established two core management departments and managed them personally. One is the Life Products Research Institute for consumer brainstorming. Users can provide opinions during product development, trial sales, official sales and other stages. Kanai opened a personal mailbox to adopt suggestions and promote progress. The other is the product category development department where designers proactively look for needs. It has three major branches: lifestyle, clothing, and food departments, and regularly inspects and updates products. Such a design process is often time-consuming. ?Matsui Chuzo once said that when recruiting product design, it actually swings appropriately between two lines.

This is a bit like when adjusting the volume of a radio, you may not know what volume suits you, so you will adjust it, then go back a little bit, and then go back a little bit more. It is such a process. ?Wang Wenxin, general manager of MUJI China explained.

For example, MUJI’s cold water bucket, which is used to make cold water in the refrigerator, has undergone four transformations. Designers found that Japanese refrigerators were generally too small and the larger cold water buckets could not be placed upright, so they designed the sides to be flat so that they would not roll around in the refrigerator. The mouth of the bucket was also sealed to prevent water from overflowing when placed flat.

Some female consumers reported that the bucket was too heavy after being filled with water, and it was difficult to take it out when placed flat. The designer added arc-shaped grooves on the sides of the bucket to increase the stress points. The cold water bucket can also be used as a teapot for making tea. Since then, consumers have twice suggested improving the filter in the bucket, and the designer finally accepted it.

In order to work out the best plan, it is often necessary to communicate through countless emails. During the busiest times, design discussions are even held at the airport so that everyone can rush to the next destination after the discussion.

7. Cold display standards

In addition to product development, Masaaki Kanai also attaches great importance to display aesthetics. He knows very well that MUJI is not enough to make the many windowshopping people who hang out in its stores pull out their wallets just by relying on designs that are rooted in practical needs and pursue practical convenience. When the products are put on the shelves, MUJI, which has no logo, no bright patterns, no advertising, and no spokesperson, must conquer customers through complicated product displays. The hardest part of opening a new store is the display, which takes one to three weeks for each store.

In China, MUJI’s display standard is a mixture of the Japanese headquarters display model and the local VMD concept. Usually, the Japanese headquarters will provide a methodology for product display. For example, the bottom floor of a large shelf is the sales area, which should be convenient for customers to pick up goods; the middle level is the display area, which is used to convey the purpose of the product; and the high-level display area provides visual impact to customers.

In MUJI’s display philosophy, the placement of all products must follow the basic display rules from left to right, from shallow to deep, from small to large. The display technicians to be trained must practice in stores for 6 to 12 months to experience the display methods. The final plan needs to be customized based on the preferences of Chinese customers, the surrounding conditions of the store, and the theme of the planned activities.

After the large display area is determined, MUJI will continue to subdivide the display. This is the most time-consuming link in the "persuasive project". It is very different from the usual practice of most retailers to display products according to the size of the shelf space. MUJI will first design a display plan, and then customize the shelves and props for the products according to the plan. The advantage of doing this is that the products and shelves, products and props It can be seamlessly integrated, and the fullness will give customers a strong visual impact.