Brief Explanation

In Japan, there is a tradition to send gifts for seasonal greetings . But we found that people were tired of sending classical gifts like coffee or beer. So we redesigned the whole gift-giving experience. The gift-giver just pays and submits the recipient’s address. Then the recipient will receive a “special catalogue gift box” from which he can enjoy choosing a gift for free . The package design resembles a Japanese lunch-box style called “Eki-Ben” which is filled with actual local specialties. But instead, we filled it with cards. Each card represents a gift with an article explaining each feature.

The Brief

Many Japanese local newspapers were struggling financially. In an effort to turn things around, 47 local newspapers came together to use their intimate knowledge with the local communities. They co-founded an “online-shopping site” called the “47 CLUB” which specialized in “local foods and specialties”. But there was one problem; they needed a killer product that would drive customers to the site. So they asked us to help create a product that would represent the website.

How the final design was conceived

* With this design, local newspapers created a business in which they have consumers “eat” their articles, not only ”read” them. * The Japanese people dislike wish lists from online-shopping sites because they think it is rude to select in advance. Our product is comfortable because the selection process is after the giving. * “Eki-ben” is a popular Japanese culture. It is a lunch box filled with local specialties only available at local train stations. Eating “Eki-ben” is one of the biggest pleasures of travelling around local cities in Japan.

Indication of how successful the outcome was in the market

In just one month, our new product spread instantly, driving website traffic up to 131%. Sales went over 70 thousand dollars which was 5 times our goal. People were talking about it on websites and blogs, and even magazines started to cover our product. It became a hit. Not only are the people using the product for seasonal greetings, but also as small gifts for all kinds of purposes.