Evaluation of New Investment Product/Service Offerings

Case studies

FINANCE

Evaluation of New Investment Product/Service Offerings

The second-largest mutual and index funds provider in the United States wished to better understand its core customer base in Japan, males aged 50+, particularly in terms of the response to selected new product/ service offerings, and importantly,
a proposed online interface for making online purchases and stocks/ bonds trades.

Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

OUR WORK

Qualitative research (focus groups with male consumers aged 50~70 to explore (among both heavy and light investor types):

Attitudes and behaviors as regards investing in non-cash assets (i.e., stocks, bonds, etc.)
Reaction to 3 new proposed products and services
Willingness to engage with and use a new DIY online platform designed to simplify “self-purchase” and trades

THE OUTCOME

The client ultimately introduced its proposed new product – index funds (a very popular product in the US but up to this point, not introduced in Japan) – due to the very positive response received in the research; the online access option required further study, as this concept was not well favoured in the research

We presented to the Japan- and US-based teams: “The financial products area is changing quickly, with a host of new regulations on the horizon. It’s important for us to keep our attention on the “pulse of our customers”, since they are changing rapidly, too. This study really helped us to understand how to better introduce our concept from the US so that Japanese investors would have higher acceptance."
- Client voice

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SAORI HIRASAWA

Project Manager

Everyday at CarterJMRN is so different, and that’s why I enjoy working here. I always start my day by following my to-do list – though it’s rare that I can follow them precisely because there are always new projects and tasks. It is very important for us to keep up with the fast pace and be flexible. The best part of working here is learning. I am exposed to a wide range of industries which ensures that I am never bored. After working at CarterJMRN, I have come to see the world differently – even if it’s just the way I look at doing my shopping. For example, I closely observe clients’ products, competitors, layout of the shelving units, observing people’s behavior, etc.. We consider ourselves as a “partner” of our clients and work together with them. It requires a lot of effort to work in a team with very high professional standard, but it has been equally rewarding.