Review acquisition rate exceeds 30% with the introduction of U-KOMI! Ideal use of reviews for overseas expansion

Kyoden Co., Ltd., the company behind the Kyoto-based leather goods brand "COTOCUL." Recognizing that acquiring third-party reviews was essential for expanding sales on their own e-commerce site, they implemented U-KOMI and were subsequently able to secure a large number of positive reviews. In this
interview, we spoke with 竜田様, the company’s CEO, about what prompted them to adopt U-KOMI and the results they’ve seen since its implementation.

Operating a Kyoto-based handmade leather goods brand

First, could you tell us about your business?

We are a Kyoto-based company that produces handmade leather goods under the brand name “COTOCUL.” COTOCUL is a portmanteau of “Koto” (ancient capital) and “Culture,” and we create products that draw on the unique culture and heritage of Kyoto.

We began operations as an apparel manufacturer in 2005, and this year (2024) marks our 19th fiscal year. Initially, we wholesaled products manufactured at partner factories to specialty stores nationwide, but we developed a desire to “deliver items made by our own hands directly to our customers.” This led us to launch COTOCUL in 2015.

Since our founding, we have set the goal of “creating a global brand originating from Kyoto,” and we are currently striving toward global expansion, such as by exhibiting at trade shows in Hong Kong and Thailand. Although the order volume was small at the Hong Kong trade show, we received orders, and we now see hope for future overseas expansion.

We felt that third-party feedback could influence our brand strength and sales, so we implemented U-KOMI

Please tell us about the challenges you faced before implementing the review tool and what prompted you to adopt it.

Originally, we sold our products mainly through e-commerce platforms like Amazon and Rakuten, and while we wanted to increase sales on our own e-commerce site, we faced challenges regarding brand awareness and trust.

Then, when we happened to open a pop-up store at a department store, a customer who had purchased our product recommended it to another customer, which led to many more purchases. Based on this experience, we became convinced that gathering third-party feedback was essential for boosting sales and brand strength, and we began considering the implementation of a review tool.

Incidentally, we had previously used a different review tool, but its UI/UX wasn’t very user-friendly, and we were struggling to gather reviews, so we were looking for an alternative. It was during this search that the company supporting our e-commerce operations introduced us to U-KOMI, which led to our decision to adopt it.

With other review tools available, what was the deciding factor in choosing U-KOMI?

I was attracted by the clear interface and the ability to integrate with Instagram, which made me want to give it a try. Another deciding factor was the attentive support from the U-KOMI representative, which made the trial process seem straightforward.

In particular, the good rapport I had with the representative was a major factor. Whenever you try something new—not just with review tools—there’s always a mental hurdle, but their attentive support helped alleviate my concerns and made me feel ready to give it a try.

We’ve received numerous positive reviews. We’re also exploring ways to leverage these reviews with an eye toward global expansion.

What results have you seen since implementing U-KOMI?

As we had hoped, we’ve been able to collect reviews from many customers. The review acquisition rate is impressive, exceeding 30%, and the content of the reviews is overwhelmingly positive. Thanks to this, I feel it has contributed to building brand credibility and increasing brand awareness.

Additionally, I’ve recently come to realize that it’s not just about collecting reviews—it’s also important to use them to inform product development and service improvements, so I make a point of carefully reviewing the feedback we receive.

Ideally, with an eye toward global brand expansion, we’d like to start collecting reviews from international customers as well. If we can do that, it will make it easier for international customers to reference our reviews, which we believe will lead to more purchases.

Moving forward, I’d like to delve deeper into the content of the reviews so that we can objectively identify and analyze the strengths and weaknesses of our products.

Finally, please let us know if you have any requests or expectations for U-KOMI.

While I am fully satisfied with the current service, I think it would be even better if we could hold meetings with U-KOMI representatives about once every six months or a year to share success stories and usage examples from other companies using the platform, as well as discuss future directions. It might also be nice to
have a “meetup” where companies using U-KOMI can gather to exchange information.