Publicize reviews on U-KOMI so that we can further foster a sense of security and trust.

"Kaimin Times" is an e-commerce site that sells unique bedding made from carefully selected, high-quality materials. Recognizing the need to strengthen its online presence alongside its TV shopping operations, the company focused on the importance of online reviews and implemented the U-KOMI review tool. In this article, we spoke with 岡様 of Shinohara Chemical Co., Ltd., which operates the "Kaimin Times" e-commerce site, about the background behind the U-KOMI implementation, its effects, and future prospects.

Selling Bedding Made with Unique Overseas Materials

First, could you tell us about your business?

We sell bedding. Our main business involves TV shopping and wholesale to retail stores, and we are currently strengthening our online sales. A key feature of our bedding is that we source unique materials from overseas, resize them to fit Japanese standards, or redesign them before selling them.

For example, we use a filling material called “Fosflakes,” which is manufactured in Denmark. This material uses biomimetic technology to shape and crinkle polyethylene into a petal-like form, giving it a unique elasticity and softness.Additionally, our "Cellpool" urethane foam—used in mattresses and pillows—is blended with Tencel powder derived from eucalyptus. This allows the foam itself to regulate humidity, creating a sleep environment that is less prone to stuffiness.

Since bedding stores in Japan tend to carry products from the same manufacturers, their offerings often look similar, but our company sells unique products like these. Furthermore, one of our strengths is that our products are supervised by employees certified as Sleep Health Advisors, ensuring that our bedding is specifically designed to improve sleep quality.

I understand you are focusing on online shopping. What is the reasoning behind this?
Also, could you explain how you differentiate your approach from TV shopping?

We believe there is significant room for growth in online shopping. Furthermore, since we do not operate any physical stores and rely solely on mail-order sales, we feel that TV shopping alone has limitations in expanding our sales channels, so we are currently exploring ways to make greater use of online shopping.

We introduced U-KOMI because we believe customer reviews encourage purchases

What prompted you to start online shopping and introduce a customer review tool?

The main challenge was that without customer reviews, we couldn’t build trust, so we decided to implement a solution as soon as possible. Before that, we mostly received feedback via postcards, and it was difficult to share those comments publicly.

Especially given the nature of bedding products—you can’t really know how comfortable they are without touching them firsthand—and since they’re fairly expensive, many customers want to verify the quality in person. In that context, I believe that hearing the genuine voices of customers facing similar concerns is what ultimately seals the deal for a purchase.

With so many review tools available, what made you decide to implement U-KOMI?

We previously operated an e-commerce site where we used a different tool. While that tool was feature-rich, its relatively high cost was a drawback. However, U-KOMI offered similar functionality at a lower price and felt much easier to use.

Additionally, the tool we used previously only supported English, which created a barrier to entry in terms of the user interface. In contrast, U-KOMI was very intuitive, including the admin panel, so we decided to switch.

To foster a greater sense of security and trust through the implementation of U-KOMI

What results have you seen since implementing U-KOMI?

The biggest benefit is that the content of customer reviews and star ratings are clearly displayed, which has significantly increased customers’ sense of security and trust. As a result, our conversion rate has also improved. We can actually see on the dashboard that many people are making purchases after reading reviews.

Looking at the reviews we’ve received, many mention things like “They shipped the product quickly” and “The packaging was neat,” which has made us pay even more attention to shipping. Additionally, based on reviews stating “The mattress is heavy,” we’ve updated some products, such as adding handles to the mattresses.

Please tell us about specific ways you use the platform and what you like about it.

We’ve been able to consolidate reviews posted on our previous e-commerce site onto our current site. This feature is helpful because it allows us to display linked reviews for the same products.

One positive aspect is the system that automatically sends a review request email after a purchase. Since it’s easy for customers to reply to these emails with comments, we’re able to collect reviews more easily.

Finally, please share your future outlook and any requests.

U-KOMI has a feature that allows us to edit submitted reviews in-house and post them to social media, so we plan to use this feature to leverage social media more actively. As for requests, it would be even better if there were a feature to highlight highly rated reviews and pin them to the site.