This article focuses on new horizons in digital marketing within the beauty industry, featuring a roundtable discussion among three companies: The Fourbee, which operates esthetic salons nationwide; Dentsu Elfto Architect, its agency; and wevnal, provider of “BOTCHAN Engagement.”
We will explore how the collaborative framework among these companies enabled them to overcome challenges, and how the introduction of a chatbot became a stepping stone to The Fourbee’s success.

wevnal CS Representative Tomomi Saito (hereafter, “—”)
Thank you for taking the time to speak with us today.
To begin, could we ask each of you, starting with Mr. Arito, to briefly introduce yourselves and your business activities?

Mr. Issei Arito, The Fourbee Inc. (hereafter, Mr. Arito of The Fourbee)
My name is Arito from The Fourbee.
We operate J Esthetic, a long-established esthetic salon founded in 1979.

We also offer esthetic services such as hair removal, facials, and body slimming, as well as our own in-house skincare products. As a total beauty salon that continues to support women with concerns about their appearance, we are grateful to be celebrating our 45th year in business this year.
Our services are designed to comprehensively support beauty from three perspectives: not only the “outer” appearance, but also the “inner” and “mental” aspects. During counseling, for example, we provide advice on everyday face-washing routines. Rather than simply imposing beauty from one side, we place importance on running alongside our clients, helping them create their own beauty.

Mr. Issei Arito, The Foulby Corporation

In my day-to-day work, my responsibilities are wide-ranging, including managing my department, running digital marketing initiatives, updating the website and creating landing pages, planning and producing banner designs, and managing our in-house social media accounts.
Given the complexity and depth of the digital marketing field, I am once again reminded of its challenges, so we are implementing initiatives in collaboration with wevnal and Dentsu Elf.

Ms. Miyu Iwata of Dentsu Elfto Architect (hereinafter, Ms. Iwata of Dentsu Elfto)
My name is Iwata from the Planning Division of Dentsu Elfto Architect. I was originally in charge of the Fouluvi account, and the initiatives are now being carried out by Nagata, who has taken over the role.

Ms. Miyu Iwata, Dentsu Elfto Architect Inc.

Ms. Ayaka Nagata of Dentsu Elfto Architect (hereafter, Ms. Nagata of Dentsu Elfto)
My name is Nagata, and like Iwata, I am with the Web Planning Division. I have been in charge of Fourlby since around the summer of 2023.

Ms. Ayaka Nagata, Dentsu Elf Architect Inc.

— Thank you. How did your two companies first come into contact with each other?

Dentsu Elft – Mr. Iwata
That’s right. It began with an inquiry from Dentsu Direct, a company within the Dentsu Group, asking us to handle advertising placements in the web domain, and we are now working together with them on that.

— I see! Thank you very much.
To begin with, regarding the introduction of “BOTCHAN,” I believe the process started when Dentsu Elf introduced you to Fourlvy, but what was the main challenge you were facing at that time?
And, in relation to that challenge, I would very much like to hear why you decided to choose a “chatbot” as the solution.

Dentsu Elf Co., Mr. Iwata
Yes. To begin with, our main challenge was around CVR. On top of that, the key reason we chose to implement a chatbot was that we were seeing a high exit rate relative to the volume of traffic.
We had not been able to take any specific measures for users who were dropping off, so we hypothesized that we were missing out on conversions. While searching for a suitable tool, we came across “BOTCHAN Engagement.”

— Did Ms. Foulby have the same sense of challenge as well?

The Foulby Mr. Aritō
That’s right. As a premise, I believe there are two types of effects that advertising can have.
One is the aspect of directly driving actual sales, and the other is a pattern that focuses on branding or promotional publicity, regardless of sales. In that context, our company operates with a results-oriented mindset rather than a branding-first approach. That said, we did not have a system robust enough to implement a large number of initiatives aimed at driving results, and in addition to the drop-off issues Mr. Iwata mentioned, we were facing a mountain of challenges such as site improvements. While we were trying various things through trial and error, the major trigger for adopting this new approach was a proposal we received as a new initiative from Dentsu Elf, a partner we trust.

— I see. Among the various challenges, you decided to first focus on the CVR aspect.
I’d like to ask Dentsu Elf Co. about this: given that you work with multiple partner companies, what was the decisive reason you chose to propose “BOTCHAN Engagement”?

Dentsu Elfut – Mr. Iwata
Although there were other companies we had worked with on previous projects, the fact that this is performance-based is a major factor in how easy it is for us to propose it.
Also, under wevnal’s approach, they handle proposals and the execution of initiatives end-to-end, which allows us to move forward quickly. I found that aspect to be very good as well.

— Thank you very much. How was the communication from the decision to implement BOTCHAN through to the actual deployment?

The Foulby – Mr. Aritō
Yes. As Mr. Iwata said, the overall scenario had already been thoroughly researched and developed in advance, so my role was more a matter of making red‑pen revisions as we went. Mr. Saitō’s responses were also quick, so everything proceeded very smoothly.

— No, not at all. I can really tell how busy you are, even through the screen, and I always end up feeling sorry about it.

The Foulby, Mr. Aritō
There were aspects of what our company wanted to convey that could not be fully expressed through text alone, so we also held online meetings and worked together to shape things into their final form.

— How did this part look from Dentsu Elf’s perspective?

Dentsu Elfut – Mr. Iwata
As expected, everything was very speedy. This is the same as what Mr. Aritō mentioned, but the response time was quick, and at the same time each task was handled with great care, one by one, which made it very easy for us to work together.

— Thank you very much for your kind words.
How were the results after you actually implemented it in production?

The Foulby, Mr. Aritō
The results in the first few months after implementation were better than we had anticipated.
Mr. Iwata had given us a rough forecast of the expected impact in advance, but the actual results exceeded that.

— Has the “BOTCHAN Engagement” initiative been well received within your company as well?

Mr. Aritō, The Foul B
From the beginning, senior management had a desire to try new and interesting initiatives, so I think there was a sense of, “So we’re finally doing it.”
Internally, we repeatedly announced, “Don’t click on the pop-ups that look fun and interesting!” (laughs)

— So it was such a fresh initiative that everyone wanted to get their hands on it.
After Mr. Fourlby introduced “BOTCHAN Engagement,” did you notice any changes on the Elft side?

Dentsu Elfut – Mr. Nagata
In addition to improving CPA, the number of conversions also increased by roughly 300. Beyond these quantitative results, I feel that the real driver of growth has been the qualitative side: you have run detailed tests and consistently proposed next actions at each stage. My impression is that this has been extremely valuable, and we are truly grateful.

— Thank you very much.
From our side, whenever we implement a new initiative, we provide you with timely reports and proposals for improvement. We also share a metrics sheet that is updated on a daily basis, so that anyone can check the figures whenever they wish.
If you were to evaluate this overall reporting and support structure as a whole, how would you rate it?

Dentsu Elfut Mr. Nagata
I really appreciate that you update the daily figures promptly, so I can check them right away when I get to the office in the morning.
Whenever I have something to discuss, I can call you casually and you respond immediately, so overall I can simply say that your support has been extremely helpful.

—Thank you very much.
What does “BOTCHAN Engagement” and our company’s customer success represent for all of you?

The Foulby Mr. Aritō
They are the unsung heroes behind the scenes. As expected, improving the churn rate has ultimately led to higher CVR. It is an important system that brings back customers who were about to leave.

Dentsu Elfut – Mr. Nagata
We think of Mr. Saito as a teammate.
From the planning stage of each initiative, Mr. Saito is essentially the one taking the lead, so we truly see him as a teammate, or rather a partner—someone in that kind of role.

— I’m very happy to hear you say that.
While we appreciate the positive feedback you’ve given us, we would also like to know if there are any aspects of “BOTCHAN Engagement” or our CS structure that you would like to see improved or further developed going forward.

The Foulby Mr. Aritō
Yes. I think users quickly become accustomed to similar initiatives, so it would be ideal if we can maintain a state where our efforts always feel fresh whenever they are seen. Our competitors are also rolling out interesting initiatives one after another, so if there are any compelling ideas, I would very much like us to explore them together.

— We would be delighted to work together with you!
Lastly, could you share a brief message for companies that are considering operating an official LINE account using “BOTCHAN Engagement”?

Dentsu Elfut – Mr. Nagata
Yes. I believe there are actually many companies that end up giving up simply because they lack the resources. That is precisely why having someone take full responsibility and carry things through to execution is, in my view, worth more than the cost itself. So, looking at it from an overall perspective, I think it is well worth considering implementing this.

The Foulby – Mr. Aritō
As Mr. Nagata said, from a business operator’s perspective there are often gaps in knowledge and literacy regarding new initiatives, and there are also concerns about the resources required.
That said, there are certainly companies that want to try something new but do not know how to proceed, so I believe one effective option is to entrust everything to wevnal and let them handle it end to end.

—Thank you very much. I truly appreciate the level of trust you have placed in me. I look forward to continuing to work with you.

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