Customers in Japan place weight on deployment track records and peer-company case studies as evidence of a company's reliability. It is important not just to list cases but to present them in a way customers can easily map onto their own situation.
- The company has overseas case studies, but they do not resonate with customers in Japan
- There are few cases in Japan, so there is little to build trust on
- It is hard to get customers' permission to publish cases
- Cases are published but do not lead to inquiries
This article explains how to present case studies to build trust in the Japan market.
Why Case Studies Build Trust
When choosing a new supplier, customers in Japan tend to check deployment results at companies in the same industry or of a similar size. Case studies give concrete material for judging whether their own challenges can be solved.
For foreign companies especially, the fewer results they have in Japan, the more they need case studies as backing. Rather than posting overseas cases as-is, they need to be reshaped so they resonate with customers in Japan.
What to Include in a Case Study
Including the following elements in the structure makes it easier for customers to map the case onto their own company.
| Element | What to Include |
|---|---|
| Customer background | Industry, size, and challenges before adoption, so readers can relate them to their own company |
| Path to adoption | Why the customer decided to adopt, and how comparisons and concerns during evaluation were resolved |
| Results after adoption | Results that can be shown in numbers, and comments from the field and management |
| How adoption proceeded | Timeline, structure, and the support provided in Japan, giving a concrete picture of adoption |
| Voice of the contact | Comments and evaluations from the customer's contact, published with permission |
Build More Cases and Put Them to Use
Publishing a case requires the customer's permission. Mentioning the possibility of a case study from the time of adoption makes it easier to ask later. When the company name cannot be published, showing only industry and size is an option.
Use cases not only on the website but also in sales materials and seminars. Improve the structure by checking how they are read and whether they lead to inquiries.
Summary
- Customers in Japan place weight on case studies as evidence of a company's reliability
- Include the customer background, path to adoption, results, how adoption proceeded, and the contact's voice
- Mention the possibility of a case study from the time of adoption to make permission easier to obtain
- Use cases across the website and sales materials, watch the response, and improve
Contact
JBN supports foreign companies' PR and marketing for the Japan market, from designing case studies through to publishing them.
To discuss creating your case studies, please contact us.