Hero Interview: Cynthia Co., Ltd. — A Blockbuster Product Born from a "Flash of Insight" and a V-Shaped Recovery from Declining Sales. The Customer-Insight-Driven Management Philosophy Behind Color Contact Lens EC Site "Mew contact"
"Mew contact" is one of Japan's leading color contact lens (hereafter, "color contacts") EC sites, supported by a large and loyal user base. Behind its dazzling success lay an untold struggle — a decline in sales caused by a failed site redesign. The root cause: losing sight of the customer.
In this article, we interviewed Ms. Shinoike and Ms. Fukuda from Cynthia Co., Ltd., the company that operates the business. We take a deep dive into the unique philosophy and initiatives that drove their V-shaped recovery from declining sales — and uncover hints on "how to truly engage with customers" that every EC business owner should learn from.
【Interviewees】
Mayuka Shinoike, Division Manager, Color Contact Lens Business Division, Cynthia Co., Ltd. (right in photo)
Naoko Fukuda, Color Contact Lens Business Division, Cynthia Co., Ltd. (left in photo)
Interviewer: Kurose, Representative Director & CEO, StoreHero Inc.
The Challenge of "Safe and Trustworthy" — Starting by Questioning Common Sense
Kurose: Thank you for joining us today. To start, could you tell us about the origins of "Mew contact" — how it all began?
Ms. Shinoike: Originally, I launched it as a new business venture at Furyu Corporation. At the time, I researched what young women were buying on their smartphones, and "color contacts" came up frequently. When I looked into the market, however, I found that health issues caused by poor-quality imported products had become a serious problem. That's when I decided to create an online color contact lens shop that only carried government-approved lenses — a place where customers could "enhance their look with complete peace of mind."
From "Dramatic" to "Undetectable": How One Flash of Insight Changed the Market
Kurose: "Mew contact" is closely associated with the massive hit product "LuMia," isn't it.
Ms. Shinoike: Thank you. Color contacts at the time were all about the "more is more" approach — making eyes look as dramatically enhanced as possible. But I found myself wondering, "Do people really want that?" The idea of "a lens where you can see the difference yourself, but everyone else thinks you're wearing no contacts" — that was a brand-new category, and the product was truly born from a single flash of inspiration.
Kurose: What kind of efforts did you make to communicate the appeal of that product?
Ms. Fukuda: The copy and hero images were key. For example, how do you express the value of being "undetectable"? We made sure to clearly convey the product's concept — the core "axis" — to our creative agency and designers so they could bring it to life visually. That said, if we only went by our own intuition, we'd fail. So we continuously gathered feedback from customers to understand what truly resonated, and built from there.
A Three-Stage CRM Strategy Rooted in Customer Insights
Kurose: I understand that as you grew the business, you also invested heavily in CRM (Customer Relationship Management).
Ms. Shinoike: Yes. One of the things that was particularly effective in the early days was a "color contact review site" — the first of its kind in the industry. At the time, Instagram was still in its infancy, and there was a clear customer insight that manufacturer-retouched photos weren't helpful. So we turned unbiased, real-wear reviews by our own staff into content, and that became a major catalyst for business growth.
Kurose: When it comes to building long-term relationships with customers, what is your philosophy?
Ms. Shinoike: We think about customer relationship-building in three stages: new customers, the second purchase (F2 conversion), and the third purchase and beyond (F3+). The F2 conversion hurdle is by far the highest. To help customers clear it, we carefully imagine what journey they take, what mindset they're in, and what their "insight at the moment of purchase" looks like. Clearly defining "who this initiative is for" and adjusting the timing and approach through LINE and email at the right moments is essential.
The Nightmare of Declining Sales: The Day the Site Became Just a "Tool"
Kurose: While the business was growing, I heard you hit a major wall during the migration to Shopify.
Ms. Shinoike: Yes. The first redesign, driven by a top-down management decision, ended up being a mere "lift and shift" that failed to reflect the insights of our team on the ground or our customers, and sales dropped significantly. The site had become a cold, soulless "tool." It was a truly dire situation.
Kurose: Specifically, there were significant issues with things like the search functionality, correct?
Ms. Fukuda: Yes. Color contact users are a mix of highly knowledgeable shoppers who want to filter by specs like lens diameter, and beginners who want to search by feel or mood — like "soft and natural." The old site couldn't meet either of those needs. Customers were left feeling that "choosing was too difficult."
"Just Like a Beauty Counter Consultant": The Ideal Search Experience Born from Customer Insights
Kurose: That's when the redesign began with us (StoreHero) to aim for a V-shaped recovery. What did you envision as the ideal search experience?
Ms. Fukuda: The feedback we heard most often in customer interviews was, "I really want to make my decision the way I would by consulting a beauty advisor at a department store." That became our North Star. So we pursued a UI/UX that combines detailed spec-based filtering with the ability to browse by impression or mood — something anyone could use intuitively. Adding a casual chat consultation feature was part of that same vision.
Site Improvements That Boosted Ad Efficiency
Kurose: The improvements to on-site search also had a positive impact on advertising performance.
Ms. Shinoike: Yes, that was a big discovery. Color contacts have restrictions on advertising expression because they're classified as medical devices — but even before that, when the site structure was complex, ad crawlers couldn't correctly recognize the information for each product, which meant ads couldn't reach the right users.
Kurose: By streamlining the site structure through the redesign, crawlers could navigate smoothly and accurately understand the characteristics of each product. As a result, ad delivery precision and efficiency improved dramatically, making a major contribution to new customer acquisition.
A Partner Who Acts Like a "Wizard": The Ultimate "Ease of Purchase" and the Power of Saying No
Kurose: Beyond search, you also relentlessly pursued "ease of purchase" on the product pages.
Ms. Shinoike: Yes. We had many thoughtful touches implemented — like the purchase flow for customers with different prescriptions in each eye, and displaying color variations within a brand — all designed to let customers buy without friction. In our NPS (Net Promoter Score) surveys, "the site is easy to shop on" is one of the most common pieces of feedback we receive.
Kurose: As a partner, what was your impression of how we worked?
Ms. Fukuda: StoreHero is the kind of partner who, even when we say "we want to do this," will honestly tell us "thinking about the future of your business, that approach will cause problems down the road" — they're not afraid to tell us what we shouldn't do. For us, without deep technical expertise, that's incredibly reassuring. Internally, we call them our "wizards" — because they seem to solve anything (laughs).
An EC Site Is Not Just a "Tool" — Staying a "Service" That Truly Puts Customers First
Kurose: Thank you so much for sharing your story with us today. Listening to you, I feel that the strength of "Mew contact" lies in your unwavering commitment to always imagining your customers — no matter the circumstances — and your philosophy that "an EC site is a service."
Ms. Shinoike: Thank you. In the end, it all comes down to how deeply you can think about each individual customer on the other side of the screen as if their situation were your own. Going forward, we'd like to take on new CRM challenges — like hosting exclusive events for our top-tier members — to build even deeper relationships.
Kurose: That mindset is what powered your V-shaped recovery.
Ms. Shinoike: Yes. As of April 2025, management transferred to Cynthia Co., Ltd., marking a new beginning for us. Even as the operating company changes, our customer-first policy remains unchanged, and we want to continue creating new touchpoints with our customers.
Kurose: We look forward to seeing what you take on next. Thank you so much for today!