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"Rather than simply telling customers how good our products are, the diagnostic content helps them make an informed purchase decision. I believe that is precisely why it has contributed to higher customer lifetime value and retention rates."
So says Saeko Ikeno of the Digital Marketing Department at Intermestic Inc. For Zoff 1-DAY, the contact lens business launched in November 2024, Ikeno has used BOTCHAN Engagement (MA agent) to communicate via LINE in a way that supports customers who are unsure about making a purchase. This article explores the initiative to transform advertising into "online customer service" and the results it has achieved.
Company Profile: Making Eyewear an Essential Part of Healthy Vision and a Better Life
Intermestic Inc. operates the Zoff eyewear and sunglasses brand, managing every stage of the business in-house, from planning and manufacturing to sales. As an early adopter of the SPA model in the eyewear industry, the company has made high-quality glasses available at affordable prices, transforming what was once an expensive product into something more accessible.
Today, under the banner of “Eye Performance,” we aim to evolve eyewear beyond a tool for vision correction into something that enriches people’s lives and well-being, encompassing eye health, everyday living, and fashion. In November 2024, we began selling “Zoff 1-DAY” contact lenses, primarily through our online store.
Intermestic Inc. Corporate Website: https://www.zoff.com/
Meet the Team: A Digital Marketer Who Sees Advertising as a Way to Build Connections with Customers
Mr. Ikeno is responsible for digital advertising operations, campaign planning, and performance analysis in the Digital Marketing Department. The department’s primary mission is to increase e-commerce sales and drive customer engagement, with a small, highly skilled team covering areas such as SEO, social media, and influencer marketing. Within the team, Mr. Ikeno oversees advertising and leads promotional activities for Zoff 1-DAY.
Mr. Ikeno"Rather than simply serving ads, I want to create opportunities to engage with customers through advertising as a form of communication, guided by our approach to the business. My role is to encourage greater use of our services by focusing on solving customers' problems and understanding how they feel."
Ms. Saeko Ikeno, Communication Strategy Group, Digital Marketing Department, Digital Commerce Division, Intermestic Inc.
Pre-Implementation Challenges and Context: Becoming the Contact Lens Customers Choose with Confidence, Not Simply Because It Is Affordable
In launching Zoff 1-DAY, Mr. Ikeno faced challenges unique to a new business venture.
Mr. Ikeno"As this is a new business, the first step is to build awareness. Rather than addressing a specific challenge, we were considering what we could do to grow the business. Contact lenses are an everyday product. We do not want customers to choose them simply because they are inexpensive; we want each customer to make an informed choice about the product that best suits them—and for that choice to be Zoff 1-DAY. We wanted that message to come through across the entire promotional campaign."
As a result, they continued exploring the most effective language and methods for reaching people who were still undecided about making a purchase.
Discovering the Service and the Deciding Factor for Adoption: Content That Supports Customers Who Are Undecided
We first learned about BOTCHAN Engagement through a proposal from the agency managing our advertising. With our goals encompassing not only advertising but also CRM, BOTCHAN Engagement was introduced as an approach beyond push advertising.
Mr. Ikeno"We felt that we had explored virtually every format and medium for push advertising, including sponsored articles. What particularly impressed me was that this represented a new way of using LINE—one that went beyond simply delivering content to users who had added a company's official account."
At the same time, Ikeno recalls that there were also concerns.
Mr. Ikeno"We were concerned that displaying a pop-up on the landing page might detract from the user experience. We were also worried that routing users through LINE would lengthen the path to purchase, potentially causing them to drop off along the way."
Nevertheless, they say the deciding factor in adopting it was the quality of communication.
Mr. Ikeno“Unlike conventional push advertising, which delivers one-way messages, this approach allows us to provide meaningful content. We found it very appealing that we could communicate specifically with people who had shown interest by taking the step of adding us as a friend. We believed that by delivering content tailored to those who were still undecided, we could address their concerns and questions and give them the confidence to make a purchase.”
The performance-based pricing model and the low barrier to entry—requiring only the installation of a tag—also helped drive the decision. “We had no hesitation about implementing it,” says Mr. Ikeno.
Implementation Process and Decision-Making Criteria: Brand-Informed Recommendations and Rapid Deployment of Successful Initiatives
Since the launch, wevnal’s Customer Success (CS) team has worked closely with Zoff to implement a wide range of initiatives, including designing the “Perfect Match Assessment” content, adding footer links across the website, testing display triggers, tailoring rich menus to different users, and setting up step-by-step message sequences. The CS representative has focused on promptly proposing initiatives that have delivered results for other companies during regular meetings and rolling them out quickly.
Verify when the “Do Not Disturb” indicator appears
To address Mr. Ikeno’s concern before implementation that pop-ups might detract from the user experience, the team repeatedly tested different display timings. A trigger that displayed the pop-up three minutes after a page was opened increased PVCVR by 1.48 times, while a trigger activated by rapid scrolling improved it by 1.27 times. Adding links in the footer of each site page also nearly doubled both the friend-add rate and PVCVR at their peak.
Display different rich menus based on the diagnostic results
There are three ways to purchase Zoff 1-DAY: a trial, a standard 30-lens purchase, or a subscription. In response to a request to increase the number of subscription customers, we adapted an approach that had proven successful in other categories and tailored the rich menu so that customers whose suitability assessment indicated that a subscription was right for them would be shown the subscription option. Rather than recommending a subscription to everyone, the experience was designed to present it only to customers for whom it was a good fit.
Before and after implementing audience-specific content, the share of conversions via LINE attributable to subscriptions increased from 14% to 20%. Among conversions via the rich menu alone, approximately 36% selected a subscription.
Mr. Ikeno appreciates the attention to detail in these proposals.
Mr. Ikeno"When we develop ideas on our own, we inevitably tend to fall into familiar patterns. Contact lenses are a product category subject to strict restrictions on how they can be presented, but even within those constraints, we have received detailed suggestions on how to phrase the same message for customers with strong purchase intent. It has been a valuable learning experience."
They also say that, through ongoing discussions about the creative work, a deeper relationship of trust was established.
Mr. Ikeno
"As a company that places great importance on how our brand is presented, we initially spent considerable time discussing the details. We learned a great deal, including how to present offers and incorporate motion into the design. They now have a clear understanding of what we want to convey, so we feel confident entrusting the work to them."
Results and value achieved after implementation: More than tripled the subscription purchase rate and delivered higher LTV than other channels
As a result of implementing a series of initiatives, the conversion rate from adding us as a friend has increased approximately 2.2-fold compared with the initial rollout. The share of conversions accounted for by subscription orders has also more than tripled, meaning that more customers are continuing to use our products rather than making only one-time purchases.Mr. Ikeno"Because the service uses a performance-based pricing model, CPA (customer acquisition cost) has been kept very low. It has also helped reduce our overall CPA, while both the friend-add rate and the number of conversions have increased since the initial rollout. One of the key benefits of adopting the service is that it consistently generates a certain number of conversions each month."
What Mr. Ikeno values most is the “quality” of the customers acquired.
Mr. Ikeno“The reports we receive from our advertising agency show that LTV (customer lifetime value) is higher than for other media, as are the F2 and F3 conversion rates—the percentages of first-time customers who go on to make a second and third purchase. In the contact lens business, it is extremely important that customers continue using our products, so we are very pleased with these results. We believe they are due to the content strategy and the thoughtful communication with highly interested customers.”
Ikeno says these results are not attributable to any single initiative, but rather to the cumulative impact of a wide range of efforts. The company is also working to raise internal awareness of its high LTV and retention rates.
Mr. Ikeno"Because eyeglasses are not purchased very frequently, I am delighted that contact lenses are becoming a strong use case. Communication that encourages users to engage proactively with content is one of the things we aim to achieve as part of our CRM strategy. Building something from scratch in-house would be challenging, but having it developed with reference to examples from other companies makes the process smooth and reassuring. Being able to use contact lenses to take on new initiatives that we have not yet pursued with eyeglasses feels like a very positive change, both for me as the person responsible and for the company as a whole."
Online customer service with just the right level of personal attention—different from the in-store experience
Mr. Ikeno describes BOTCHAN as “a solution that transforms advertising from one-way communication into personalized online customer service.” Its impact became clear during interviews with customers who had high retention rates.
Mr. Ikeno“After comparing their options, customers choose us because they want to give it a try, but they still make a careful, considered decision. They want to make a quick purchase without spending time getting measured at a store or waiting at an ophthalmologist’s office, yet they also want to choose the right product. I believe we are meeting that delicate balance. Rather than the time-intensive service provided in a store, we offer just the right level of support—enough to properly address any uncertainties while maintaining a comfortable distance. In that sense, I feel it is similar to customer service.”
"There was no customer service online." This recognition of the problem led wevnal to create BOTCHAN. Zoff's initiative demonstrates that personalized customer service can also be provided to each customer on the web.
Future Outlook and Key Initiatives: Focusing on Building a Fan Base in Year Three
Mr. Ikeno"In the first year, we want to build awareness among a broad base of new customers and encourage them to make a purchase. In the second year, we will focus on increasing customer retention, including subscriptions. In the third year, while continuing these efforts, we hope to grow the number of loyal customers who feel that 'Zoff 1-DAY is the right choice.'"
To that end, Mr. Ikeno is looking to expand the range of content.
Mr. Ikeno"Customers have a wide range of concerns and factors they consider. We currently offer only one type of assessment content, but we hope to introduce branching paths and create entirely different content so that we can provide each customer with content tailored to their needs."
We plan to continue expanding the functionality of BOTCHAN Engagement and have begun discussing with Zoff how its new features could be used in future initiatives.
A Message to Companies Facing Similar Challenges
Mr. Ikeno"Honestly, if your goal is to drive any kind of online conversion, there is little reason not to adopt it. I would particularly recommend it to companies seeking to pursue one-to-one marketing rather than one-way push communications. It enables you to engage thoughtfully even with audiences who are not receptive to push notifications alone. Instead of pressing them to make an immediate purchase, it retains the initial spark of interest and effectively guides them through to conversion. Because it uses a performance-based pricing model and can be launched simply by installing a tag, you can explore a new approach to customer communication while minimizing implementation risk. I recommend giving it a try."
Zoff’s online customer engagement initiative, which emphasizes helping customers make informed choices, is now entering its second year and moving into its next phase: building a loyal fan base. wevnal will continue to work alongside Zoff to create personalized communications that address the needs of each customer. If you are interested in using LINE for online customer engagement or increasing LTV, please feel free to contact us.
