Word-of-mouth increased with the introduction of U-KOMI. Contributed to product development and increased internal motivation.

Medion Research Laboratories, Inc. operates a skincare brand centered on carbonated face masks that are popular among beauty enthusiasts. After recognizing that their own e-commerce site was struggling to attract customer reviews, the company implemented U-KOMI, which yielded various benefits, including an increase in reviews. In this article, we spoke with 日置様, the company’s CEO, about the background behind adopting U-KOMI and the results achieved.

Developing a skincare brand featuring carbonated face masks and other products favored by beauty-conscious users

First, could you tell us about your business?

We have doctors from medical institutions serving as development advisors, and we develop, manufacture, and sell cosmetics and health foods incorporating medical expertise both domestically and internationally. We are a pioneer in carbonated face masks and currently operate two skincare brands centered around them.

The first is “Mediprowler,” a skincare brand for beauty salons that we’ve been selling since shortly after our founding. Since March of last year, we’ve also been selling it to end users via our e-commerce site. The other is “Dr. Medion,” a consumer-oriented brand sold in variety stores and on e-commerce sites.We originally used U-KOMI for the Doctor Medion online shop, but recently we’ve started using it for the Mediproler e-commerce site as well. We’re also utilizing U-KOMI for the e-commerce sales of “Fucoidan Drink,” a health drink containing “fucoidan”—a slippery component extracted from seaweed like mozuku—that has been converted into medium-sized molecules.

What is the main customer demographic for Doctor Medion?

About 80–90% of our customers are women, ranging from their teens to their 70s, though our core demographic is in their late 30s. Our flagship product, the carbonated pack, is a special care item used in addition to regular skincare routines, so it is particularly popular among customers who are highly conscious of beauty.

What are the benefits of the carbonated pack?

Typically, skincare routines consist of just two or three steps, such as cleansing, toner, and moisturizer. The carbonated pack is an additional step—a special treatment applied after cleansing. The carbonation boosts metabolism and improves blood circulation. It delivers immediate results, such as reducing dullness, refining skin texture, and enhancing firmness, and customers also appreciate how it improves makeup application.

In the case of our most popular carbonated pack, "Spa Oxy Gel," it requires some effort since you need to leave it on for 20 to 30 minutes, but we believe customers recognize it as an indispensable item precisely because of its tangible results. Many models and actresses incorporate carbonated packs into their routines to improve their skin condition before photo shoots.

We decided to introduce U-KOMI based on factors such as high customer review rates and price competitiveness

Please tell us about the challenges you faced before implementing U-KOMI.

Our official online shop’s cart system originally included a review feature, but unfortunately, we didn’t accumulate as many reviews as we had hoped. We recognized the importance of reviews, and while we received a fair number on Rakuten, the number on our official e-commerce site remained stagnant.

We were struggling with how to increase reviews on our own e-commerce site when U-KOMI made a proposal, leading to our decision to implement their solution.

What was the deciding factor in implementing U-KOMI?

The deciding factors were its ability to automatically integrate with our shopping cart, the capability to automatically send email newsletters requesting reviews to users, and the high review submission rate (approximately 10%) we heard about—we thought, “If it’s that high, let’s give it a try.” We also appreciated its competitive pricing compared to other services. Since we were introducing a new service without having verified the effectiveness of reviews yet, the price advantage was a major factor in our decision.

Another key factor was the system’s ability to award points to users who submit reviews. We also grant additional points to those who submit reviews with images.

U-KOMI led to a significant increase in reviews; we’ve even made limited-edition products into regular items based on user feedback

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

We’ve seen a tangible increase in the number of reviews, which was our initial goal. Compared to our previous review system, we’re now receiving many more reviews. I also believe that being able to display U-KOMI’s star rating in Google Ads has helped us run our ads more effectively.

We’re also utilizing the Instagram integration feature to showcase authentic customer feedback with images on product pages and landing pages, which we feel provides potential customers with more information to help them make purchasing decisions.

Are there any initiatives you’ve implemented based on these reviews?

Based on positive reviews submitted by customers, we have turned some limited-edition items into regular products. Typically, online shops don’t have many opportunities to hear customer feedback directly, so we make decisions based on reviews. For a limited-edition item we sold last year, we received many requests saying, “We wish this weren’t a limited edition—we want it to become a regular product,” which led us to decide to make it a regular item. Being able to see this kind of positive response has also helped boost staff motivation.

Finally, could you share your future outlook and any requests you may have?

As for requests, we would appreciate it if you could implement automatic point accrual in the ASP shopping cart system we use. Additionally, we would appreciate more granular settings for group management. For example, if a customer who purchased during a special sale—accessible only to specific individuals—submits a review, we feel it would be easier to manage if we could configure the system so that their review does not appear on the regular product page.