The quality of reviews is a deciding factor in purchase decisions, and the introduction of U-KOMI has also revitalized communication with customers.

"XEXYMIX" is a South Korean brand specializing in women's sportswear. Despite its affordable prices, it has gained a loyal following thanks to its high quality and excellent design. We spoke with 李 恩美様 of Brand X Corporate Japan Co., Ltd., the company behind "XEXYMIX," to learn about the reasons behind adopting U-KOMI, the results of the implementation, and future prospects.

"XEXYMIX," which offers a wide range of women's sportswear and other items

First, could you tell us about your business?

We are a company that distributes a sportswear brand originating from South Korea. We started out selling yoga wear and have since become the No. 1 seller in South Korea. We’ve been operating in Japan for about three or four years and are steadily gaining a large following. Going forward, we are considering expanding beyond sportswear to include everyday clothing as well.

I believe the reason for our success in Korea is that customers appreciate the excellent balance between quality, design, and reasonable prices.

Specifically, how do you achieve this balance between quality and price?

With other women’s sportswear brands, it’s not uncommon for a single item to cost nearly 10,000 yen, but our brand isn’t that expensive. One key factor is that we offer stylish designs combined with high-quality fabrics. Above all, since we’re a manufacturer that originally specialized in women’s apparel, we focus on creating pieces that flatter the female figure and offer a wide range of fashionable, colorful options. I believe this helps boost motivation to exercise, which is another reason for our popularity.

Going forward, we plan to expand our product range to include items like golf wear, aiming to grow into a brand that satisfies women who enjoy sports even more. We also offer cosmetics (such as lip products) that stay put even during exercise. Broadly speaking, our business concept is to “provide what women who play sports are looking for.”

Could you also tell us about your e-commerce operations?

We launched our in-house e-commerce site about three years ago, and sales have been steadily increasing. We release new products every Friday, and the number of repeat customers has grown significantly.

We switched to U-KOMI because of its ease of use and the excellent support from the staff

Your e-commerce business is doing very well—what led you to implement U-KOMI?

Actually, before U-KOMI, we used another company’s review tool for about a year. However, we experienced many system glitches, and it was difficult to get in touch with the support team when we had questions, which was quite inconvenient. In contrast, the U-KOMI support team was always immediately available when issues arose, so we had no concerns regarding communication. Additionally, we felt it offered excellent value for the price.

We also appreciate the automatic follow-up emails sent after a purchase and the fact that new features are added regularly. Furthermore, when a product is sold, our previous tool required a staff member to manually import the data, but U-KOMI automates this process, making it effortless and easy to manage. We’ve also noticed a difference in the speed at which reviews accumulate.

So, even though it might seem similar to our previous service at first glance, there were significant differences in functionality and support, so I’m very satisfied with the switch.

Was the main deciding factor in switching to U-KOMI the frequency of bugs or the difference in how the support staff handled issues?

That was a factor, but the main deciding factor was ease of use.

Before U-KOMI, what prompted you to consider implementing a review tool in the first place?

South Korea has a culture where customers frequently leave reviews, and I often check reviews myself when shopping. If there are no reviews at all, many people get worried, thinking, “Maybe this isn’t selling well,” and decide not to buy. Because of this, I felt it was essential to have a review tool.

Also, since first-time customers tend to care about how many reviews a product has, and given that we sell women’s apparel, I believed a robust review feature was even more important.

Introducing U-KOMI has revitalized communication with customers

Please tell us about the effects of implementing U-KOMI.

Since implementing U-KOMI, our communication with customers has increased. We’re now receiving many candid opinions and requests for improvements. Sometimes, communication begins as a result of our automated emails, and since customers write reviews with such affection, we look forward to reading them.

The integration with Google is also highly rated. Since our brand’s recognition in Japan isn’t that high yet, seeing many reviews when customers search on Google helps them trust us as a well-managed brand. Also, many customers are concerned about sizing, but it seems they often refer to online reviews to help them choose the right size.

Are you implementing any initiatives that leverage these reviews?

Currently, we’re compiling a special feature page showcasing products that received high ratings in reviews. We believe that allowing customers to click through from there to the actual product page to check the details further enhances trust. We intend to continue valuing reviews in this way.

Do you also integrate with Instagram?

Currently, we collect posts with specific hashtags, review them internally, and then publish the selected ones. Additionally, when users upload text and photos within U-KOMI, they appear in a format similar to Instagram, creating a visually appealing impression.

Finally, could you tell us about your future plans?

We’re very satisfied with it at this point, but I feel we haven’t yet fully utilized U-KOMI to its full potential. Since it seems to have features like a lottery function, we’d like to use those features to help bridge the gap with our customers.

New features, including the Highlights feature, are constantly being added. By leveraging these features, we hope to make U-KOMI a tool that resonates with our customers, such as by ensuring more customers see the reviews posted on the platform.