Reviews became an opportunity to learn about the supplement's effectiveness and features! Increased inquiries from customers who saw the reviews

HBC Funato Co., Ltd. specializes in selling supplements used in the field of alternative medicine. Given the nature of supplements—where it is difficult to highlight specific effects and benefits—customer feedback is crucial. By implementing U-KOMI, the company has been able to gather a large number of reviews. We spoke with the company’s representative, 中山様, about the background behind adopting U-KOMI, the results since implementation, and future prospects.

Selling supplements and health foods. Focusing on B2C sales via e-commerce

First, could you tell us about your business?

Our company sells supplements and health foods. We have been selling health foods for about 40 years; originally, we operated as a wholesaler supplying agents, but for the past 15 years or so, we have been running an e-commerce site to sell directly to consumers (B2C).

Our two main products are a supplement called “Alpha Best,” which contains lecithin as its main ingredient, and a supplement containing glycan nutrients.

When it comes to supplements, tablets, capsules, and granules used to be the norm, but we launched the gummy-type “Alpha Best” over 20 years ago. The gummy format was revolutionary at the time, and it has been well-received, becoming a long-running product to this day. I believe customers appreciate that the gummy format is delicious and easy to eat, eliminating the reluctance often associated with taking medicine, and that it can be enjoyed by everyone from children to the elderly.

We’ve also been selling the jelly type for about 15 years, and it has been very well received as well. Both the gummy and jelly types allow the ingredients to be absorbed sublingually when chewed thoroughly, making it easier to feel their effects and benefits—which is another reason we recommend these formats.

Who typically purchases this product?

Since our company operates a clinic specializing in psychosomatic medicine, many of our customers are patients who actually visit the clinic. “Alpha Best” is a supplement designed to support the treatment of conditions such as dementia, stress, depression, and schizophrenia, and some people purchase it in the hope of improving their IQ or EQ.

As for glycan supplements, they are frequently purchased by people suffering from immune system disorders such as interstitial pneumonia.

Since these products are often purchased for medical treatment, our main customer base is in their 50s to 70s, and we have many long-time loyal customers.

We supply our products to distributors, including pharmacies and stores specializing in natural foods. While we have many long-standing distributor partners, our B2C sales are currently growing faster than our B2B sales.

Because these are supplements where it’s difficult to tout specific effects or benefits, customer feedback is crucial.

Could you also tell us about the background behind adopting U-KOMI?

I consulted an acquaintance about wanting a review feature like those on Rakuten or Amazon for our own e-commerce site, and they introduced me to U-KOMI.

Due to the Pharmaceutical Affairs Law, we cannot directly claim specific effects or benefits for supplements. In this context, I thought that if customers could write about the product’s effects and their impressions as “reviews”—essentially their own voices—it would make it easier for other customers to understand the product’s features. Especially in the supplement industry, where it’s difficult for us to promote effects and benefits ourselves, we really appreciate the value of these reviews.

Did you consider implementing any other review tools besides U-KOMI?

At the time we implemented U-KOMI, other companies’ review tools weren’t very robust, so we didn’t really consider any other options.

Inquiries increased after seeing the reviews. This result made us realize the importance of review tools.

How effective has U-KOMI been?

We’ve seen a significant increase in customers who become interested in our products after reading reviews and then contact us by phone. It really drives home the point that people are indeed reading those reviews, and I’ve come to realize just how important customer reviews and feedback are.

Given the nature of supplements, most reviews focus on physical well-being, such as “I feel better.” We also receive feedback on taste and ease of consumption, and we take all of this feedback seriously.

That said, there are almost no negative reviews or comments pointing out areas for improvement; my impression is that we’re receiving mostly positive feedback.

Finally, could you tell us about your future plans?

First, I’d like to create a page summarizing customer reviews. I’ve heard that creating a page on the site dedicated to customer feedback can improve search rankings and increase traffic, so I’m considering implementing this.

Additionally, I’d like to add custom questions asking about personal experiences and how long customers have been using our products, so we can assess the effectiveness more thoroughly. Furthermore, I want to maximize the use of reviews not only on our e-commerce site but also on our landing pages.