Keywords

1 Introduction

Japan’s chocolate annual consumption is 2.0 kg for 11.7 kg: chocolate annual consumption of the top country, Germany, and Japan’s chocolate consumption has about 5 times as much gap as that of the top two countries [1]. Therefore, Japan’s chocolate consumption can potentially be increased five-fold.

In Japan, however, there has already been a market size of about 495 billion yen until now, so it is not easy to catch up with the consumption of those country. Therefore, it is necessary to think about strategies to create new markets and customs that have not existed so far (Fig. 1).

Fig. 1.
figure 1

Annual per capita consumption of chocolate (2015) [1]

Full size image

Also, looking at the amount per sexual age purchaser, the purchase amount of chocolate for men and women aged 15 to 24 including students is small. Therefore, in this research, we focus on ‘students’ and consider proposals to make students’ consumption of chocolate five times. Based on the questionnaire data from a Japanese confectionery company, we will offer a proposal reflecting the student’s awareness by confirming the characteristics of the students. For this aim, we will analyze the student’s ‘image for chocolate’ and ‘information source for chocolate’ to carry out the process (Fig. 2).

Fig. 2.
figure 2

Amount of one purchaser by sex and age (2017/4/1–2018/3/31)

Full size image

2 Outline of Usage Data

In this research, we use data from a Japanese confectionery company. The outline is as follows.

  • Period: Executed in 2018 June

  • Target: 18 to 69 years old men and women (1030 people), including students (university students/graduate students)

  • Details: WEB Quantitative Survey (Low Data)

    Consumer purchase history data (sexual age/annual purchase amount/period: April 1, 2017 to March 31, 2018 (graph of basic aggregation)),

  • Data format: Category data

The questionnaire items used in the analysis of this research are “What kind of point of chocolate confection do you think is good? Please choose all that apply”, “Please select all that apply as information sources for you to know and buy chocolate confectionery” and “Please select your occupation”. Details of answer items are described in the tables below (Tables 1, 2 and 3).

Table 1. Answer items (occupations)
Full size table
Table 2. Answer items (good points)
Full size table
Table 3. Answer items (information sources)
Full size table

3 Analysis Result

3.1 Analytical Method

The analysis contents of this research are described. We aimed to grasp student values by correspondence analysis. Based on the questionnaire data from a Japanese confectionery company, we grasp the characteristics of students by clarifying the relationships between students and “chocolate image” and “information source for chocolate” to the two points. Correspondence analysis is one of the methods to quantify qualitative data without external standards and is an analytical method for mapping row variables and column variables together and exploring their positions and their relationships (positioning). That is, similarity and correlation between categories (items) can be visually grasped. Strong related categories are nearby, weak categories are located far away.

3.2 Analysis Result: Occupation – Good Point of Chocolate Relations

First of all, we will describe the analysis result of correspondence analysis ‘good image for student’s chocolate’. Input variables are ‘Occupation’ in the line variable, ‘Question item’ in the column variable; what kind of points in the chocolate confectionery do you think is good? and please choose all applicable items respectively. Details of the input variables are described in the following table.

Analysis results; it was read that ‘20: Easy to carry’ and ‘14: Suitable for distribution’ are plotted near ‘d: College students’, meal replacement category near the ‘e: Graduate students’ (Fig. 3).

Fig. 3.
figure 3

Result of correspondence analysis (relations between occupations and good points of chocolate)

Full size image

We thought of the images associated with these analysis results and hypotheses based on them. From the results of college students ‘20: Easy to carry’, ‘14: Suitable for distribution’ embraced the image that it is hard to melt, small package, small quantity, many (quantity more than quality) and easy to put in and out. Also, as a result of graduate students ‘2: Instead of meal’, we received the impression that they think it is nutritious, it is filling, it has a variety of kinds, it is easy to eat in a hurry and it does not stain their hands.

Therefore ‘college students place importance on friendships, compared to people in other occupations’, ‘graduate students live such a busy student life that they often omit their meal time’.

3.3 Analysis Result: Occupation – Information Source

First, we will describe the analysis result of correspondence source for students’ chocolate in correspondence analysis. The input variables are “Occupation” in the row variable, “Question item” in the column variable; Please select all that apply as information sources when you get to know or buy chocolate confectionery. Details of the input variables are described in the following table.

Analysis results are categorized as ‘14: Reputation’, ‘16: SNS’, ‘17: Video sites’ near the college student, ‘10: Advertisements of the Internet’, ‘3: Radio CMs’ near the graduate student (Fig. 4).

Fig. 4.
figure 4

Result of correspondence analysis (relations between occupations and information source)

Full size image

Based on the above analysis results, we made a hypothesis that students tend to dislike analog advertisements conveyed by letters, but they rather like digital information and auditory information.

4 Proposal Based on Analysis Results

4.1 Suggested Items

The purpose of this research is ‘to think about suggestions to make students’ consumption of chocolate 5 times.’ In order to achieve that purpose, we focused on a confectionery company (hereinafter referred to as Company A) that provided data and proposed an idea that ‘Company A’s chocolate products would increase sales volume consumed by students 5 times.’ Based on the analysis result and hypothesis described in the above 3, we devise an item that makes use of know-how of Company A.

Packages of Company A’s existing chocolate products were found in many types of bags and boxes. Therefore, we thought that we wanted to make a new package type of chocolate, reflecting the results of ‘easy to carry’ and ‘suitable for distribution’ which are the reasons for the students of the correspondence analysis results to choose chocolate.

Therefore, the product proposed in this research is tablet type chocolate with reference to ‘a bottle type package’ of Company A’s product, a breath care product. The reason for suggesting this product is that a tablet type chocolate in the bottle package is a new form which has not been found in Company A so far, therefore we thought it was possible that since Company A had acquired the method of manufacturing a bottle type package, the new product would be manufactured at low cost.

4.2 Specific Proposal on the Proposed Package for Goods

As a concrete proposal, we propose a cylinder size (1.4 × 1.4 × 3.14 × 10 = 61.544 cm3) of about 61.5 cm3 in volume with a bottom diameter of 2.8 cm and a height of 10 cm. And the content of the tablet type chocolate is 27.4 g in total, and 10 pieces of chocolate of 6.1544 cm3 size (1.4 × 1.4 × 3.14) are included.

The reason for setting the content amount to 27.4 g will be described. In order to achieve the goal of ‘making annual consumption 5 times: 10 kg,’ it is necessary to consume 27.4 g per person per day. Therefore, the content of this product must be 27.4 g which is the target consumption amount per day. The reason for deciding the volume to make the content amount to 27.4 g to be about 61.5 cm3 is because the size of the box package of about 50 g of commercially available board chocolate in Japan is about 123 cm3. Therefore, it could be made to contents amount close to the target consumption amount of the day by making it half (about 61.5 cm3).

If one person can consume one suggested item per day, it will be possible to achieve the goal of ‘5 - fold annual consumption of 10 kg’ (Fig. 5).

Fig. 5.
figure 5

Specific proposal on the proposed package for goods

Full size image

4.3 PR Method for Selling Proposal Products

We suggest PR method for selling proposal products, reflecting both analysis results of correspondence analysis of students: ‘14: Reputation’, ‘16: SNS’, ‘17: Video sites’, ‘10: Advertisements of the Internet’, ‘3: Radio CMs’, which are information sources about chocolate for students and student characteristics.

Based on the analysis results, we made a hypothesis that students tend to dislike analog advertisements conveyed by letters, but they rather like digital information and auditory information. As a recent trend, ‘YouTubers’ have become popular and students feel them closer than TV personalities active on television [2, 3].

From the above, as a PR method of products combining this hypothesis and recent student characteristics, we propose that ‘YouTubers are appointed as advertisement talents, making use of YouTube video advertisement as advertising medium.’ Next, we will write about details of the PR method of products and its effect.

For example, let’s say that you put advertisement content on YouTube with YouTuber A’s ‘One day this one! We eat this way’ and closely attached to how to eat 10 chocolates per day. Three benefits can be obtained by advertising on YouTube in this method.

First, the advertisement posting fee on YouTube only occurs when the user takes a voluntary action ‘to watch the ad for 30 s/watch the ad to the end/click on the advertisement’. Therefore, it means that advertisements will always stay in the user’s eyes free of charge (although there is a possibility that skipping may be done 5 s after the advertisement flows). Secondly, it is possible to reduce unnecessary advertising expenses because it is possible to narrow down the number of users who are going to be advertised on YouTube to ‘students’ who are the target layers, rather than an unspecified number of users. Third, we think that it is expected to attracting users who did not know the product until now or were not instead in the consumption, because the advertisement always remains in the eyes of the user [4].

Also, from the sensitivity of students to fashion, we think that we can expect to spread the product by driving the consciousness that ‘we will eat 10 chocolates per day, imitating YouTuber’. Furthermore, by multiplying ‘popular YouTubers’, ‘catchphrases’ and ‘unusual advertisement contents’, students can share conversation with friends at schools such as ‘Have you been that ad which has recently flowed on YouTube?’. We think that you can also aim for positive effects in student life etc.

And after students have recognized the advertisement on YouTube, you can increase the advertisement medium, we think that effective product popularization can be expected.

4.4 Student Model to Consume One Proposed Item a Day

We thought about a student model for consuming suggested items one item a day. For example, eat 2 pieces as a dessert for breakfast after getting up, eat 1 piece as activation of morning brain before class starts, 1 piece as sugar supplement between the first period the second period, eat 1 piece as a dessert after lunch, We will eat 2 pieces between 3 and 4, 1 piece as a reward after classes, after going home and finishing the university’s tasks eat 2 pieces as a refreshment of the tired brain. In this way, you can consume 10 pieces of chocolate per day (Fig. 6).

Fig. 6.
figure 6

Student model of time schedule to consume one proposed item a day

Full size image

As another way to eat 10 pieces chocolate, for example, it can be assumed that you can dissolve chocolate tablet in milk to make chocolate juice, melt it in curry, use as a seasoning or eat as an energy charge before club activities.

Also, we think that there is a merit for students by eating chocolate one day in this way. For example, you can enjoy chocolate exchanges with a friend, imitate the timing of talent for advertising eating, enjoy each other, if graduate students choose chocolate with ingredients instead of snacks and can have eating time the advantage of being able to supply sugar by eating in between studies can be mentioned.

In addition, chocolate is rich in flavanols (cocoa flavanols) such as catechin ∙ epicatechin and is thought to bring various benefits to our health [5]. And it is said that people with higher frequency of intake of chocolate tend to have higher cognitive function [6, 7]. Therefore, by developing the habit of eating chocolate every day, it is considered to have a positive influence on the health and academic ability of students [8, 9].

4.5 Proposal for Rentals of Replenishment Servers

We present three promotional proposals of products in this research.

The first one is “Start rental service of replenishment server”. We explain the replenishment server. The replenishment server is a machine for easily refilling tablet type chocolate. The mechanism of the replenishment server is that bottles are set in the server and 10 pieces of tablet type chocolate are replenished to the bottle (Fig. 7).

Fig. 7.
figure 7

Repacking method for tablet type chocolate

Full size image

With this replenishment server, we encourage a habit of consuming 10 tablets of chocolate every day, and think that consumers can use bottles repeatedly to reduce the cost of the container and give consideration to the environment.

As a server operation method, we think that it is better to install it in university laboratories, clubrooms, convenience stores and so on. By doing so, it will be easy for students easily to use replenish tablet type chocolate. As a result, we expect that consumption of chocolate tablet can be increased. Furthermore, we think that it will be a place for students to deepen friendship between them.

Moreover, it is possible to incorporate this tablet-type chocolate replenishment server into the service of renting a confectionery box containing more than dozens of sweets in offices that A company is doing, other than students.

4.6 Proposal for Promotion

We present two sales promotion proposals proposed in this research.

The first proposal is to sell bottles of various designs and functions. The aim of this proposal is to make topics in SNS (social networking sites) and the like and to become a detonator for products to hit.

We present five examples of bottle type package. The first one is a bottle package of the same design with different colors. If friends have the same design different color, it makes us feel like our familiarity with them is up, and maybe it will make our time with friends more enjoyable. The second one is a bottle type package with limited designs. By thinking of seasons and limited designs like spurring a situation that you can buy them only now, which will lead to encouraging consumption behavior. The third is to hold a bottle-shaped package design contest and commercialize outstanding works. We think that it contributes to creating topicality as a PR event of products. The fourth one is a bottle type package that collaborated with luxury brands. By doing this we think that as targeting is not limited to students, more consumers can be acquired. The fifth is sales of highly functional bottles. It aims to have the product carried around on a daily basis by making it a package that emphasizes functionality such as a bottle with a structure that raises the bottom like a lip cream and is easy to take out and one with high cold insulation properties.

The second proposal is to enrich chocolate variations and increase effective chocolate according to students’ life. The aim of this proposal is that eating chocolate will not end with a temporary fashion. Also, if the shape and size of tablet type chocolate are unified, flexible targeting becomes possible by taste and function.

An example of variation of tablet type chocolate will be given.

The first one is a chocolate with enhanced nutritional value that can be supplemented with energy. We think that this is an item that can be ‘a substitute for meal’ which is the result of the graduate student of “correspondence image of student’s chocolate” of correspondence analysis. The second one is a chocolate mixed with caffeine and having an effect of shaking off a drowsiness. We think that it can be expected purpose of chocolate other than ‘enjoying the taste of chocolate’ by blending caffeine. The third one is chocolate with fruits and nuts. You can enjoy tactile sensation by mixing ingredients in chocolate. Also, think that it can be ‘a substitute for meal’ because it can expect chewy response and satisfaction feeling.

The fourth one is chocolate containing various tastes randomly. By doing this, we think that it is possible to consume 10 tablet type chocolate without getting bored. The fifth one is calorie-off chocolate. We believe that it is expected that consumers who care about calories will be attracted as new customers by this product. The fifth one is a chocolate that melts in a drink and enjoys it. We think that not only enjoying chocolate alone but also enjoying chocolate mixed with something else can lead to an increase in the appeal of products.

5 Issues and Measures

The problems and countermeasures of products proposed in this research are described.

In carrying items outside, there are points that the temperature inside the bottle rises and melts easily, and the hands get dirty because they touch the chocolate directly. As a countermeasure to these problems, we think that we can solve by coating each tablet type chocolate one by one or selling bottles with high cold insulation. In addition, there is a possibility that it may end with a temporary fashion and there is a problem of cost. As a countermeasure of this problem, set a sales target and increase design bottles and variations of taste after every achievement. By using a stepwise promotion strategy, we can prevent it from ending with a temporary fashion.

If we do not reach sales targets, we think that we can keep the deficit to a minimum if we stop product development.

6 Conclusion

Finally, as a summary of this research, we will describe the long-term plan and its effect of our proposal.

Initially, we make PR of the proposed product, and start selling tablet type chocolate after the student’s awareness has increased. After that, we start rental service of installed type replenishment servers. By doing this, we aim to habituate the act of eating chocolate on a daily basis. After customs settled, sell limited bottles and aim for being in fashion. After that, increasing taste variations prevents consumers from getting tired of chocolate and prevent it from becoming a temporary fashion. As a result, most of the students will come to carry the goods and we think that it is possible to aim for the goal of 5 times the consumption of chocolate. The difficulty degrees will rise as the level goes up, but if you can’t achieve the sales target you can stop producing the goods it from becoming a big loss, and it aims to increase the chocolate consumption of Japanese students five-fold from a long-term perspective It aims to.

If we can establish the custom for eating chocolate in Japan, it will be a great opportunity for the confectionary market, which is struggling with the declining birthrate of Japan [10]. Also, not only the merit of the chocolate for the student life, but also, in health aspect, various effects which cocoa polyphenols of chocolate hold are expected [10]. Research on the prevention of high blood pressure, dementia and arteriosclerosis, skin beauty and allergy improvement etc. is progressing [11,12,13,14,15].

Therefore, in modern Japan where dementia and other diseases are becoming a social problem as the aging progresses, by encouraging the habit of eating chocolate on a daily basis from a young generation of students, we will expect to raise the health level and contribute to Japan’s healthy future.