Contribute to conversions and brand image improvement through integration with Instagram

Stretch marks and skin tears are a common source of private insecurity. The body care brand “NOCOR” has gained a loyal following by offering products designed to address these concerns, and with the introduction of U-KOMI, it has expanded its reach across social media and other platforms, enabling it to connect with an even broader audience. In this interview, we spoke with 中島様 of Future Gate Co., Ltd., the company behind “NOCOR,” about the background and effects of adopting U-KOMI, as well as the brand’s future outlook.

Launching "NOCOR," a skincare brand for stretch marks

First, could you tell us about your business?

Our company sells the "Nocora" cosmetics brand through our own e-commerce site and various online marketplaces. While we do sell in some physical stores, our business is primarily conducted through our e-commerce site (online sales).

Our main products are creams and oils specialized for stretch mark care, which are our most popular items. While our primary target audience is women in their 20s to 40s, we have a wide range of users, including teenage girls in middle and high school who are going through growth spurts, as well as men who do strength training.

First of all, what exactly are stretch marks?

As the belly grows during pregnancy, the skin can no longer withstand the expansion, causing the fibers in the dermis to tear and form crack-like lines. These are called stretch marks, and they are particularly likely to occur if the skin is not properly moisturized. Stretch marks caused by growth, rapid weight gain, or muscle hypertrophy from strength training follow the same mechanism—they are lines that form when the skin is stretched.

While moisturizing is important for preventing stretch marks, standard preventive creams are primarily designed for moisturization. Since Nocora is intended for post-appearance care, it contains not only moisturizing ingredients but also a wealth of ingredients that promote skin regeneration.

Amid intensifying competition with other companies, we focused on traffic from word-of-mouth and Instagram

Please tell us about the challenges, background, and reasons for introducing U-KOMI.

We had long recognized the importance of UGC tools, but we kept putting it off while weighing the implementation costs and wondering whether they would directly lead to conversions. With other UGC tools—such as those that randomly display Instagram posts on landing pages—the monthly fees were high, which is why we had given up on implementing them.

However, we were constantly facing the challenge of increasing competition and rising CPA costs as the number of competitors grew year after year. When we considered how to efficiently acquire new customers moving forward, we realized that expanding our social media presence, strengthening word-of-mouth, and utilizing a UGC tool were the best approaches. Since it has become commonplace for people to evaluate product images based on reviews, focusing on these areas is essential for improving landing page conversion rates and enhancing brand image in the medium to long term.

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

The main deciding factors were that the monthly cost was relatively lower compared to other tools, and that it integrates easily with Instagram.

What led you to feel that integration with Instagram was so important?

Originally, we viewed our company website and Instagram as separate entities. While many users were posting on Instagram with hashtags like “#Nocora” and “#StretchMarkCare,” we weren’t effectively utilizing those posts as our own content, and due to a lack of resources, we couldn’t keep up with them.

So, I thought it would be very convenient to integrate with Instagram and bring those posts into the user reviews section of our website, as it would allow us to easily gather word-of-mouth content from social media.

I also believed that integrating with social media would create various synergistic effects: existing Nocora repeat customers might see posts on Instagram and feel motivated to continue their skincare routine, and gaining more followers would enhance our brand image.

U-KOMI Implementation Contributes to Improved Conversions and Brand Image

What results have you seen since implementing U-KOMI?

Data shows that 60–70% of site visitors view reviews, and 30% of those who converted made their purchase via the U-KOMI review page. Furthermore, quite a few customers mention that they decided to buy because of positive reviews. I believe U-KOMI’s user-generated content significantly contributes to overall conversions, whether users arrive from ads, top-ranking owned media, ranking articles, or other content sources.

I also think U-KOMI excels in terms of design.Since stretch mark care products address a personal insecurity, there’s often an element of “I don’t really want to use this, but I have to.” Therefore, it’s essential to present the brand in a way that makes people want to use the products actively and recommend them to others. When stylish moms introduce these items as their favorites, it inspires others to think, “Maybe I should start using higher-quality body care products too.” I appreciate how U-KOMI helps build a positive brand image in this way.

We also use review content as a reference for product improvements. For example, a positive review like, “I watched the how-to video on YouTube and after three months of care, my stretch marks disappeared,” reaffirms that publishing YouTube videos was worthwhile. Conversely, if there’s a review saying, “It says to use it three times a day, but I’m too busy with childcare to manage that…,” we can use it as a reference for creating new content—such as ways to help busy moms still manage three applications a day.

While we have plenty of communication with customers who are considering a purchase, I believe that the ability to connect with users who are actually using the product and seeing positive results is unique to review tools. It’s great that we can use customer feedback to inform future product improvements and planning.

Finally, could you tell us about your future plans?

We’re currently focusing on strengthening our social media presence, and as traffic from various social media platforms increases, I hope we can provide more opportunities for purchase by showcasing reviews and posts that address specific concerns.There are still many challenges, such as the fact that Nocoa’s brand awareness is still low and that the knowledge that stretch marks can be treated even after they appear hasn’t widely spread. However, by expanding our word-of-mouth reach, we aim to build a brand that attracts an even broader fan base than we have now. In particular, we plan to focus our efforts on reaching younger audiences in their teens who may feel hesitant to try Nocoa’s cream.