Introduction

As part of the Meitetsu Group’s retail division, MEITETSU Creative Life Institute has taken a bold step to harness the power of Voice of Customer (VOC) in its operations. By participating in Aichi Prefecture’s Open Innovation program, the company partnered with Koeeru to pilot a new approach using VOC technology.

We sat down with Mr. Dobashi and Mr. Nomura from MEITETSU Creative Life Institute to learn more about the initiative, the insights from the field, and the outcomes it brought.

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👥 Self-Introductions and Company Background

Nagano (Interviewer): To start, could you introduce yourselves and tell us about MEITETSU Creative Life Institute?

Dobashi: Our company, MEITETSU Creative Life Institute, operates station-area retail businesses such as convenience stores, souvenir shops, and lifestyle stores. I originally worked as a café manager, and now I handle IT and DX initiatives along with new business development and open innovation.

Nagano: It’s rare to meet someone who has experience in both IT and the shop floor.

Dobashi: Yes, there aren’t many STEM backgrounds in the company, so I was naturally assigned IT. Lately, I’ve been working on new ventures using AI avatars, and exploring how to collect zero-party data as generative AI evolves.

Nomura: I’ve been focused on retail my entire career. I started at a convenience store in Centrair Airport, worked as a store manager, and helped launch a new supermarket. Since July last year, I’ve been working at our head office, overseeing DX, open innovation, and manufacturing-retail hybrid businesses.

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🚀 Why Join an Open Innovation Program?

Nagano: What led you to participate in Aichi Prefecture’s Open Innovation program?

Dobashi: One of our busiest stores, which struggles with language barriers and unclear foreign visitor needs, happened to fall within the program’s target area. We also applied under the theme of “staff shortages.”

Nomura: It was my first experience with open innovation, and it was exciting to connect with startup culture and gain new perspectives.

Nagano: Why did you choose Koeeru?

Dobashi: We initially considered AI camera-based solutions, but installation was difficult and raised privacy concerns. Koeeru’s approach of “directly capturing customer voices” felt more promising. It offered a low-burden, natural way to collect real, actionable feedback.

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🔍 Real Impact of VOC Data Collection

Nagano: After implementing the VOC system, what changes did you notice?

Nomura: Staff were surprised—saying they had never been able to hear feedback like this before. Multilingual staff began encouraging customers from their own countries to participate in the survey, and it led to concrete improvements like multilingual signage and floor layout changes.

Dobashi: Some responses ended with heartfelt messages like “thank you” or “the service was kind,” which greatly boosted staff morale. Seeing the human side of customer interactions—something that numbers alone can’t convey—was a major breakthrough.

Nagano: Traditionally, feedback tended to focus only on the negatives, right?

Nomura: Exactly. Reviews mostly highlight complaints. The beauty of Koeeru’s VOC platform is that it captures positive voices as well.

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🏪 The Value of Physical Stores in the Era of Automation

Nagano: As automation advances, what’s your view on the value of physical stores?

Dobashi: While unmanned stores help address labor shortages and cut costs, they can’t detect emotional cues or understand purchase motivations. Real human interactions are still key to grasping customer needs—and that’s where physical stores continue to shine.

Nomura: If every store is unmanned, they all start to feel the same. The strength of in-person retail lies in personalized service tailored to each customer.

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🌏 Insights Expanded Through Global Research

Nagano: In addition to collecting in-store VOC through surveys, you also conducted global research, right?

Dobashi: Yes. To better understand foreign visitors’ behavior before, during, and after their trip to the Chubu region, we used Koeeru’s Global Research. Previously, we had conducted small-scale monitor tours, but sample sizes were too limited to support decisions.

This time, Koeeru enabled a large-scale survey with 1,800 samples across six countries—China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, the Philippines, and Vietnam. The multi-language survey and online panel made high-quality data collection quick and efficient.

Nagano: How do you plan to use this data?

Dobashi: We’ll share it across the Meitetsu Group as a common resource. It will also support more accurate understanding of tourist needs, and guide improvements in service and product planning.

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🔮 Future Outlook: Building a Regional VOC Platform

Nagano: Finally, what are your plans for using VOC going forward?

Dobashi: We aim to create a shared VOC platform across Aichi—and eventually the entire Chubu region—where both government and businesses collaborate to return value to the community. While Aichi has excellent infrastructure, we still need to improve our use of data and communication. We want to foster a culture of listening and sharing insights.

Nomura: Beyond stores, I’d like to see data from other industries like tourism and accommodation, as well as feedback from employees. Improving service quality will lead to stores—and cities—that people truly love.

Nagano: Thank you both! Your story shows how listening to voices on the ground can truly reshape the future of businesses and communities.