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In this article, discover how Shiseido’s sun care brand “Anessa” leverages conversational commerce to help users understand and purchase products.

On its 30th anniversary, the expert sun care brand, with over 100 years of UV research, is expanding in not only Japan but also other Asian countries. The digital marketing strategy group within the company is responsible for communicating the brand’s world view and designing digital communications to connect customers to it.

Instagram is a social community Hub for interactive communication with their users

Anessa is active on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok. Their social media serves the purpose of gaining insights from their customers, with their Instagram account being their most important hub for interactive communication since its establishment in 2017.

ZEALS Chat Commerce carefully communicates the attraction of Anessa’s unique products

The demand for gel-type sunscreens in the Japanese sunscreen market has been increasing more than that for milky liquid sunscreens. To keep up with this trend, Anessa made two gel sunscreens ideal for daily blemish prevention available as standard products starting in 2022.

However, there has always been a challenge for customers to find the perfect sunscreen for them through digital communication.

ZEALS saw this as an opportunity and proposed a solution to match customers with the best UV gel for them on Instagram using ZEALS Chat Commerce. Our solution enables us to recommend products at an individual level and follow up with customers, whether they made a purchase or not.

User insights achieved through personal communication with the customer

Instagram is a social media platform where actions are completed at a faster pace compared to other social media. We expected a certain rate of initiation and abandonment for the quiz content, but the start rate and completion rate surpassed our expectations, with a completion rate of approximately 90%. Additionally, a post-quiz survey revealed that nearly 95% of users gained a deeper understanding of the products, demonstrating a high level of brand exposure and promotion.

Regarding the purchase conversion rate, around 20% of quiz-takers reported that they purchased a product within 24 hours of completing the quiz. Of these, approximately 80% made the purchase in-person at a physical retail store. This suggests that even if the conversion does not occur immediately, users are still following up and converting, either online or more frequently, in-store, at a higher rate.

ZEALS Chat Commerce revolutionizes the buying experience

On average, Instagram Ads have a high abandonment rate when they redirect users to a website. ZEALS Chat Commerce, however, is a communication service that can be conducted within the Instagram app natively, reducing abandonment rates and delivering more effective results based on the skin concerns reported by users through personalized 1-to-1 quizzes. This approach enables more effective communication compared to conventional chatbots and allows for better segmentation of customers with sun care needs.

Anessa will continue to engage in interactive communication with its customers in the future. Our goal is to reach and connect with customers who have yet to be addressed, and meet their needs as a brand.

Company Profile

Company Name: ZEALS Co., Ltd.
Website: https://zeals.ai.jp/en/
Established: April 2014
Location: ARCO TOWER 6F, 1-8-1 Shimomeguro, Meguro-ku, Tokyo
CEO: Masahiro Shimizu

Company Profile

Company Name: Shiseido Company, Limited
Website: https://www.shiseido.co.jp/
Location: 7-5-5 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo
CEO: Masahiko Uotani