"Question the Words, Embrace the Contradictions" — AuB's Tanaka and Cynthia's Shinoike on Customer Insights and Sales Strategy for Creating Hit Products
As competition intensifies in the D2C/EC market, products can no longer sell on specs alone. The question is: how do you uncover the true motivations (insights) that customers themselves aren't even aware of, and translate those into a context that actually sells?
Today, we are joined by Mr. Tanaka from AuB (Orb) Co., Ltd. — led by former Japan national soccer player Keita Suzuki — and Ms. Shinoike from Cynthia Co., Ltd., a company that has produced numerous hit products in the color contact lens market.
"AuB, which charges with data and logic" versus "Cynthia, which charges with intuition and field observation." From these seemingly contrasting approaches, we unpack the essence of product development and sales strategy.
The True Nature of Customer Insight: Never Ask What They Want
Kurose: When it comes to product development, understanding the customer is the most critical process. How do each of you go about uncovering insights — the true motivations behind what customers say?
Shinoike (Cynthia): First and foremost, I believe that asking customers "What do you want?" or "What kind of products do you like?" will never lead to a hit product.
The reason is that what customers articulate is "what they like about the products that are currently popular in the market." They don't have the answer within themselves for something that doesn't yet exist in the world but that they truly desire.
Kurose: It's a common story — simply turning survey responses directly into a product never sells.
Shinoike: Exactly. That's why, in conversation, rather than listening to surface-level words, I keep digging deeper with questions like "Why do you think that?" and "What do you mean by that?" In doing so, there are moments when you suddenly catch a glimpse of something like a "fragment of insight." The real challenge is whether you can catch that fragment and connect it with your own sense of intuition.
Tanaka (AuB): I deeply relate to that. Words are heavily distorted — people adjust to the mood of the moment, or unconsciously try to present themselves in a better light. They are biased.
So rather than words, I watch behavior.
For example, a person who says they care about their health — what is their actual daily rhythm? What do they post on social media? Within the behaviors they engage in unconsciously lie the real problems they struggle with and the challenges they truly want to solve.
"I Want to Enhance My Look, But Without Anyone Noticing" — Invention Lives Inside Contradictions
Kurose: After finding those fragments of insight that Ms. Shinoike mentioned, how do you then elevate them into a sellable product?
Shinoike: It starts with questioning the common sense and assumptions that define the current market. For example, let me share the story behind "LuMia," a brand that has been going strong for 10 years. At the time, the industry consensus was that color contacts existed to make eyes look bigger — to enhance them — and that there was no point if the other person couldn't tell you were wearing them.
However, when we dug deep into customer feedback and questioned that assumption, a need emerged: "I want to enhance my look. But I don't want anyone to notice."
Kurose: "Enhancing" (making a change) and "going unnoticed" (making no change) seem like a contradiction at first glance.
Shinoike: Exactly. In ordinary thinking, these are opposing elements. It's easy to make something that goes unnoticed, but then it can't enhance your look, which defeats the purpose. Conversely, something that enhances your look gets noticed.
However, if you can fulfill a need that appears contradictory on the surface yet undeniably exists, it becomes not just a new product but a new invention. When we identified that razor-thin boundary of "enhancing your look while going unnoticed" and brought it to market, an entirely new and large genre was born: the "natural eye" category. The courage to overturn assumptions is indispensable to creating a hit.
Tanaka: Finding those "fragments" requires deeply observing N=1 — a specific individual. In my view, it is crucial to first find a promising seed through N=1 observation, then verify whether the market is large enough for it to work as a business through quantitative research (such as surveys). That distinction in how you use each approach matters greatly.
That said, even once you've found an insight, the next wall waiting for you is how to express it and communicate it — the challenge of articulation and creative execution.
Intuition Is Not Guesswork — Accumulated Information Builds Conviction
Kurose: Ms. Shinoike, where does your source of ideas come from?
Shinoike: I always keep my antennae up. In everyday life, I'll look at someone's eyes, think "Ah, that's a lens from that brand," and then ask, "Why did you choose that one?" (laughs). I also constantly think about how things from completely different industries might be applied to color contacts.
When I keep accumulating information day after day like that, there are moments — like when I'm in the bath — when an idea just floats up out of nowhere. But it's not a random thought. It's a conviction drawn from the accumulated information.
Kurose: Isn't it difficult to get that conviction approved internally? After all, there's no data to back it up.
Shinoike: Incredibly difficult (laughs). When asked "Why will it sell?" I can't produce data because there's no precedent. There were times when all I could do was keep saying "Trust me, this is going to be huge!" because I couldn't even put my conviction into words.
Conversely, a proposal you can easily explain with "the competition is doing this, and the data shows that" is already in a red ocean with existing competitors. Something you can't explain but have conviction about is more likely to be a blue ocean.
Learning from Failure: The Creative Trap and the Five Gates
Kurose: Please share a failure story from product development and the lessons you drew from it.
Shinoike: It was when we developed a color contact lens with a rim that was softly blurred to create a natural, dewy look. The lens itself was excellent, but we failed in how we presented it — the creative execution.
We made the main visual too doll-like, thinking it would best convey the "dewy lens" feel. As a result, we narrowed the target audience, and people who would normally have been drawn to the product felt it wasn't meant for them.
Kurose: So the creative direction was too niche.
Shinoike: Yes. The doll-like creative I mentioned was actually very polished and beautiful. But we are in the business of selling products. A photo that is perfect as a piece of photography is not necessarily one that will sell a product. Those of us on the product development side need to understand that distinction when directing photo shoots.
I came to deeply feel that unless the three elements — "the lens (product)," "the creative (presentation)," and "the timing" — align perfectly, you won't get an explosive hit.
Tanaka: For me, it was when we developed a multi-nutrient protein supplement designed to optimize physical condition. I prioritized the functional value and quality that "protein should have" too much and overlooked the emotional value that users were actually seeking.
From that experience, we now run product development through a checklist of "five gates."
- Brand alignment: Does this make sense for AuB as a brand?
- Customer interpretation: Does it provide value to customers? (Need)
- Implementability: How will we sell it? Is there a marketing plan?
- Feasibility: Can it be manufactured and developed?
- Ethics and quality: Are safety and compliance standards met?
We check all of these comprehensively, but even then, the risk of misreading customer interpretation — the need — is always there.
Sales Strategy: The Miracle Shot and a Name That Can Pivot
Kurose: When you're developing a product, how much do you have the sales approach figured out at that stage?
Shinoike: We decide things like the tagline, but honestly, you never know how the photos will turn out until you shoot them. When you capture that one "miracle shot," just that photo alone gives you the conviction that it will sell.
For example, with "LuMia Comfort" — a product made with silicon hydrogel, a new material that was not yet available in the color contact lens market at the time — there was a moment when we captured a single photo that expressed the comfort, natural look, and moisture of the lens all at once. When that image appeared on the monitor in the studio, the whole team erupted in joy.
Tanaka: I place great importance on designing with post-launch adjustments (pivots) in mind from the start. With the insole "CORE STEP" we recently launched, we identified several potential needs from the very beginning and set our target accordingly. We plan which initiatives to run for which need, and if something isn't working, we switch to another need — designing the system so we can pivot our target quickly.
Kurose: So you made a dramatic shift in your target.
Tanaka: Yes. That's also the reason we kept the product name abstract. If we had named it something like "Slimming Leg Insole," we never could have sold it to men or children. By naming it CORE STEP — a name that conveys function — we kept the brand's core intact while being able to flexibly change the target and messaging.
Shinoike: That agility is so important. Rather than locking everything in from the start, leaving room to observe market reactions, then release new colorways or fine-tune the target afterward also serves as risk management.
Looking Ahead: Building a Structure That Delivers Good Products to Customers
Kurose: Finally, please share your outlook for the future.
Shinoike: I see challenges with the current distribution structure (manufacturer → wholesaler → retailer → customer). Within this structure, each player's own interests inevitably come into play, making it impossible to develop products based solely on what is good for the customer.
In the past, we expanded our distribution to grow sales volume — including discount stores and drugstores — but we ended up retreating because we could no longer maintain a customer-first approach from a profitability standpoint. That experience is exactly why I want to take on new challenges through a D2C-style model where manufacturers can deliver the products they've poured their heart into directly to customers.
Tanaka: For AuB, our focus is on firmly spreading the products that serve as the entry point to our brand. And then, for customers who have made that first connection, we want to strengthen our efforts to propose other products as well — helping them build overall healthy habits in their daily lives.
Rather than just making a sale and moving on, we aim to be a brand that walks alongside customers throughout their lives — through cross-selling and improving LTV (Lifetime Value).
Kurose: Thank you both for such an in-depth conversation today, covering everything from the behind-the-scenes of product development to concrete strategies. It was incredibly valuable.