Marketing Functions

The starting point of the wholesaler lies in the function of providing desired items to the people who want them

Our KOKUBU Group customers span a wide range including the manufacturing, sales, logistics, and marketing industries, centered on food. The wholesaling industry is the point of connection between food manufacturing and food sales. We will make progress along with our customers by deciphering the diverse needs of all customers handling food and creating and providing products, logistics, and services for everything from safety and security at manufacturing sites, and support for product and menu development, to helping consumers enjoy purchasing food in various places such as brick-and-mortar stores and online.
The starting point of the wholesaler lies in the function of providing desired items to the people who want them.

Proposals ranging from products to shelving allocation, sales points, and lifestyles themselves

The realities of consumption are changing ever more rapidly due to shifting world affairs, including the weak yen; demographic changes like the declining and aging population; and changes in lifestyle consciousness accompanying rising prices. Now that the boundaries between eating at home, ready-made meals, and dining out are less pronounced, and sales points both in brick-and-mortar stores and online have become commonplace, the simple fact that a product is selling well does not mean it has captured consumers’ hearts. What kind of plans can be adopted with an eye to the future to respond to the changing times and needs?
We will research consumers and picture the ideal state of sales point hospitality to create proposals that consider aspects such as product lineup, shelving allocation, sales promotion, price, services, and originality (local merchandising) in order to increase customer satisfaction.

Marketing that listens to consumers about the present in order to unlock the future

The most important thing in planning corporate strategy is the future. We must imagine the future to determine trends going forward, and we must take preemptive measures against predicted difficulties. We are undertaking two initiatives as marketing activities to unlock the future of food.
The first is our TKBridge Project to analyze the future, focused on trends and signs overlooking the whole food market for the next one to two years. The other initiative is our Future Prediction Project  to analyze the next 10 to 15 years regarding respective categories including processed foods, perishables, sake, and confections.
In addition to analyzing various data, both initiatives will visualize the true feelings (insights) of consumers through surveys and contests with consumer participation, and will decipher the market. Finally, the most important aspect is applying what we learn to sales points and field sites. Our greatest role is not just to provide information but to translate that information into concrete proposals.