Yodobashi Holdings, a major Japanese retailer, faces a critical juncture in a rapidly evolving market with new technologies and increased competition from both overseas and domestic contenders. To avoid being overshadowed, Yodobashi launched the "Yodobashi 2040" initiative, aiming to transform and expand services for B2B and B2C customers. The success of "Yodobashi 2040" hinges on a carefully designed system, and Yodobashi has enlisted the expertise of ZOOOM Productions, its lead creative agency, to ensure a bespoke and meticulous approach to the transformation.

*Due to the nature of the project, critical information (such as detailed models, information flows, etc.) that may reveal vulnerabilities in the system is filtered.

Despite its status as a household name in Japan’s retail sector, Yodobashi has faced a persistent challenge in recent years—declining sales among younger consumers, specifically GenMZ (ages 25 to 40). This demographic, known for valuing convenience, speed, and personalized experiences, increasingly turned to digital-native competitors like Rakuten, Mercari, and Amazon.
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Recognizing the need to sustain its business, Yodobashi identified a clear objective: to reimagine the customer experience for younger audiences. However, the solution could not come at the expense of existing customers—a delicate balance that required innovation without disruption.

Our team at ZOOOM Productions, in collaboration with Google and Deloitte's RAP program, was tasked with developing a proposal to capture the attention of GenMZ. We began by asking critical questions through targeted market surveys, aiming to understand the preferences, behaviors, and pain points of this demographic. These insights became the foundation upon which we crafted a strategic vision for a new service—one that would appeal directly to younger consumers without alienating Yodobashi’s loyal customer base.

Our initial market research provided critical insights into the behaviors, preferences, and values of Japan’s GenMZ demographic (ages 25 to 40). We discovered that this audience gravitates toward digital communities for product discovery, relies heavily on peer recommendations, and is deeply engaged with social sharing—a natural extension of their social media habits.
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Armed with these insights, our team developed a strategic approach that leveraged these behaviors, leading to the concept of a social commerce platform. Unlike traditional e-commerce, this solution would blend shopping with social interaction—allowing users to discover, recommend, and share products within a connected digital community.

With the support of Yodobashi’s major stakeholders, this concept was refined and expanded, ultimately becoming Yodobashi Lifestyle—Japan’s first social commerce platform. By combining e-commerce with social engagement, Yodobashi Lifestyle was designed to capture the interest of younger consumers, creating a new growth engine for the brand while maintaining its trusted legacy.

Yodobashi Lifestyle is strategically positioned as a **B2C service** within the broader Yodobashi ecosystem, leveraging the brand’s established infrastructure and retail expertise. Built on the foundation of Yodobashi’s existing retail platform, it directly benefits from access to several key assets:
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1) Yodobashi XTreme, the company’s proprietary delivery network, ensuring fast and reliable order fulfillment.
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2) A vast catalog of over 80 million SKUs, supported by a robust inventory management system.
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This direct integration with Yodobashi’s core operations provided our team and development partners with a significant competitive advantage. By building on existing infrastructure, we were able to design, develop, and refine Yodobashi Lifestyle at a fraction of the cost typically required for a standalone social commerce platform. This efficient approach not only accelerated development but also ensured a seamless connection between Yodobashi Lifestyle and the brand’s existing services.

With the service direction clearly established, our team’s next focus was to define the design principles—the guiding framework that would shape every aspect of Yodobashi Lifestyle’s development. These principles not only aligned with the Yodobashi Design System and the updated Yodobashi Brand Guidelines, but also served as the project’s North Star, ensuring consistency and purpose across all touchpoints.
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After careful consideration, we centered our design principles around three foundational keywords:

1) Content-First: Prioritizing a rich, engaging content experience that encourages user interaction and social sharing.
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2) Personalized: Delivering tailored experiences that adapt to individual user preferences and behaviors.

3) Flexible: Building a modular, adaptable system that can easily evolve with user needs and emerging trends.

These principles were not only consistent with Yodobashi's brand identity but were also directly aligned with the core vision of Yodobashi Lifestyle as a community-driven, user-centric platform. By anchoring the service in these values, we ensured a coherent experience that remains both scalable and customer-focused.

For GenMZ users, personalization is a fundamental expectation. Our research confirmed this insight, revealing that even among Japanese users, 81% of GenMZ value the ability to customize their appearance and digital presence. Understanding this preference, our team prioritized personalization as a core feature of Yodobashi Lifestyle.
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Leveraging the Yodobashi Design System’s token definition scheme and advanced generative algorithms, we developed a dynamic customization system that empowers users to tailor their Yodobashi Lifestyle experience. Users can personalize their profile appearance using images and color palettes, creating a look that reflects their individuality. The same generative algorithms also enhance the visual presentation of content across the platform, ensuring a vibrant and engaging experience.

This approach not only aligns with GenMZ’s preference for self-expression but also positions Yodobashi Lifestyle as a dynamic, user-centric platform that evolves with each user’s preferences.

Although gamification is a well-established concept in digital platforms, it was initially an unfamiliar territory for Yodobashi—a company traditionally focused on direct sales. Skepticism emerged at the executive level, with the board questioning the relevance of gamification in a service designed primarily to drive transactions.
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However, our team recognized that community engagement was critical to the success of Yodobashi Lifestyle. With the support of Yodobashi’s president, we advocated for a gamification strategy—one that would encourage user participation without compromising the platform’s primary focus on sales.

The solution was a simple yet effective achievement system. Users could earn achievements by engaging in various activities on the platform, from discovering new products to interacting with the community (through giving likes, comments, etc.). To further enhance engagement, we adopted an open approach—allowing users to share their achievements on social media, expanding Yodobashi’s brand presence beyond its ecosystem.

While gamification and personalization were essential components, they alone were not enough to transform Yodobashi Lifestyle into the comprehensive social commerce platform it aspired to be. To complete the experience, our team needed to seamlessly integrate shopping functionality—but in a way that felt intuitive rather than intrusive.
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Leveraging machine vision technology and Yodobashi’s extensive SKU catalog, we developed an interactive shopping experience that allows users to directly engage with media content within the app. Whether browsing product images, viewing videos, or exploring user-generated content, users can easily tap to access product details, check availability, and complete purchases—all without leaving the platform.

To further enhance engagement, we also incorporated affiliate program options. This feature empowers influencers to customize the shopping experience for their followers, creating a dynamic, community-driven shopping environment where users can discover products through trusted recommendations.

With the core features of Yodobashi Lifestyle in place, our team shifted focus to addressing a long-standing challenge: language accessibility. Historically, Yodobashi's platform lacked multi-language support, creating a barrier for non-Japanese users and limiting its appeal to international customers.
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However, the newly implemented headless architecture and modular layout design provided the perfect foundation for a scalable multi-language system. Working closely with the development team, we integrated a robust multi-language support framework, enabling highly accurate in-app translations. This system ensures that users can enjoy a consistent and seamless experience, regardless of their chosen language.

By making Yodobashi Lifestyle accessible to a broader audience, we not only enhanced user inclusivity but also positioned the platform for future expansion beyond the domestic market.

Yodobashi 2040 was an ambitious and transformative project—one that would not have been possible without the dedication and collaboration of countless individuals. I extend my heartfelt gratitude to every team member at ZOOOM Productions, Yodobashi, and our partner organizations. Your collective expertise, creativity, and perseverance brought Yodobashi Lifestyle to life, turning a bold vision into a groundbreaking reality.

Thank you for being part of this incredible journey.