executive impact

A quick study - Unilever Japan

7 Comments
By Christopher S Thomas for EURObiZ Japan

Unilever Japan’s president and CEO Fulvio Guarneri may be new to this country. However, despite only having arrived in July, he’s proven to be a quick study. Three months spent studying Japanese consumers from all walks of life have given him a good idea of the local market.

“My job is intrinsically linked to people’s lives, much more than [is the case] with most jobs,” he says. “We need to observe people — see what they do, how they behave — to gauge what the future trends might be.”

Guarneri, who joined Unilever in 1997, has worked in various parts of the world, including Russia and the Balkans, so he has the background to compare the consumer markets of different regions. “Japan is very different from any other country in the world in many respects,” he says. “Consumers here are very sophisticated and well-educated. They have a high awareness of product specifications, and they are very knowledgeable — they know what they want, and they know why they’re buying it. They praise a lot, but also complain a lot if a product is not up to their standards. Our customer support centre here receives a lot of calls, much more than in any other country, because people here want to interact with the products and with the brands.”

That said, Japan is still a challenging market for a foreign firm — even one like Unilever that has been here more than 50 years. “This is a very highly evolved consumer market,” says Guarneri. “And it’s a very big market — one of the biggest in the world in any fast-moving consumer goods category.”

One major challenge is the high quality of the goods that are already here, according to Guarneri. “In the sector we operate in, there is a high level of local competition, maybe the highest in the world. It’s often difficult to import because the consumers’ expectations are so high.

“If there is even a misplaced label or a scratch on the package, a product is considered off-quality. Or, the orientation of design elements — the wording or illustration: on the left side or the right side. In some markets, it doesn’t matter which [one is selected] — or if it’s a little off-centre,” he continues. “Here, it matters. If it’s wrong, it sticks out, looking like a mistake. And people respond by complaining, or by not buying the product.”

Guarneri is quick to point out that none of this is by way of complaining; it’s just the nature of the Japan market. “There are lots of rules and regulations here, it’s true. But these don’t change — that’s the key. Being regulated doesn’t mean it’s a hostile relationship. In Japan, if you follow the rules, everything becomes simple — you know what you have to do. For business, in the end, it is the certainty of the rules that matters.”

On Guarneri’s watch, the keyword at Unilever will be “sustainability” — in every meaning of the word. “Our ambition is to double our business globally, while reducing our environmental footprint and increasing positive social impact. We aim for constant, profitable and responsible growth, ” he says. Guarneri wants to position the Japan unit at the forefront in this regard. “As an example, we are working to move our factories to renewable energy. We are also very keen on sustainable agriculture, and on advancing opportunities for women. I think these are very important because, after all, two billion people a day globally buy Unilever products. We have a huge impact on people’s lives.”

The firm’s sustainability vision is integrated into brands and innovations. “Offering 21 fair-trade-certified flavours, Ben & Jerry’s ice cream is definitely one of the brands that will be the flagship of our sustainable business in Japan, along with sustainably sourced tea in partnership with the Rainforest Alliance, an organisation that is committed to decent wages for plantation workers.”

Guarneri points out that Unilever considers Japan an extremely important, strategic market. “We are planning to double our business globally, while improving social responsibility and decreasing the impact of our operations on the environment; and we want to do this in Japan as well.”

© Japan Today

©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.


7 Comments
Login to comment

I think that, if a company who wants to do well on the Japanese market would have the balls to drop all this "Japan is special and unique and different and Japnese customers are very sophisticated"-BS, they'd do better than now. As far as I know, many foreign companies put far to much trust in local "consultants" who, obviously, explain what a difficult market Japan is. It is not. It is not special. You have to teach Japanese consumers about your products because they are very ignorant. I read a great thing about Patagonia (who is wholly owned in Japan now) and how when they wanted to enter the Japanese market were told they'd have to partner up with some local clowns (what the North Face is doing here) and how they did so at first, only to fail and later drop the locals and go at it alone. Then things went better.

Japanese are fussy (or can be) as hell, but again, I feel those worst customers needs to be shown the door, told never to return. Customer service is important, but not at any cost. Here, staff is so damn scared of antagonizing a potential money laden a-hole they'll do anything.

2 ( +5 / -3 )

KnoxH,

bet you felt good after posting that one LOL! There certainly is some truth in their.

J-consumers can be picky etc but mostly they LOVE being told how special they are, how different they are, how unique they are, what PITA they are LOL!

Would be nice if reality would kick in at some point, but then Japan might be a little blander haha!

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Not a single insight that any other high-ranking ex-pat business manager has made about Japan. In fact you could Google the subject of Japanese consumers and read most of these trite statements:

“Japan is very different from any other country in the world in many respects,”

“Consumers here are very sophisticated and well-educated. They have a high awareness of product specifications, and they are very knowledgeable

They praise a lot, but also complain a lot if a product is not up to their standards.

“This is a very highly evolved consumer market,”

Hope he and Unilever have more going for it than the above.

0 ( +5 / -5 )

They've got that mug.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

You have to teach Japanese consumers about your products because they are very ignorant.>

Hmmm.... I don't think this is a good formula for success. MacDonalds and Apple works quite well in Japan, because they have some things Japanese products have not. However, try to "teach" the "ignorant" Japanese consumers that they should like - let's say - the crappy stuff sold by K-Mart, Office Depot, Home Depot, I think the Japanese consumers are going to tell you to take a hike.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

@Knox Harrington

"You have to teach Japanese consumers about your products because they are very ignorant"

One of the most ridiculous advise anyone can give to anybody. You don't tell customers what to buy, you come up with products that customers want. That's exactly why companies like American Big 3, Wallmart and Carrefour has failed in Japan. Funny you call Japanese consumers ignorant since that's exactly what you are

0 ( +0 / -0 )

jerseyboy,

Yes it's trite BS. But he's not speaking to Unilever's global board, or to a team of consultants. He's speaking to cognitive dissonant Joe Public, and this is the syrupy self-belief affirming stuff they lap up.

Hide Suzuki,

Walmart may have a relatively small share of the very fragmented market here with Seiyu, but it seems successful enough, and don't forget their Muji sub-brand, still going strong long after (and despite) its acquisition.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Login to leave a comment

Facebook users

Use your Facebook account to login or register with JapanToday. By doing so, you will also receive an email inviting you to receive our news alerts.

Facebook Connect

Login with your JapanToday account

User registration

Articles, Offers & Useful Resources

A mix of what's trending on our other sites