Corralling the New Rich

“When I buy audiovisual equipment, I want to check it by touching, looking, and hearing. But having said that, I don’t want to go to a stodgy old specialty store.” So say the new rich, people mainly in their thirties and forties who are attracting attention as the target users of high-price products.

The characteristics of these people are that they manage information themselves and they make purchasing decisions by themselves. For example, the advice of stores and evaluations of critics are just one source of information for them. In the end, they piece together all the information available and make the decision themselves. And as the place where they can find the right information, they are choosing Phile-web. It is no exaggeration to say that more than 1.3 million audiovisual fans, including the new rich, are gathering on Phile-web.

These audiovisual fans have chosen Phile-web as their meeting place on the Internet. But among the various sites available, why have they selected Phile-web? It is because Phile-web is completely different from the others in terms of, for example, its news content. Whether it is liquid-crystal televisions or speakers or any equipment, we write about products with a complete knowledge of them, and our visitors fully recognize this characteristic.

The fact that the above-mentioned new rich do not care for specialty stores is a problem. If anything, they are a generation that places importance on lifestyle, and their family bonds are extremely strong. They like audio, but they are not fanatical buffs. Rather, they see music and films as essential elements of an enjoyable life. Because they do not go to specialty stores, specialty store management is facing severe conditions and a doubtful future. The main reason is that specialty stores are old-fashioned. The owners are growing older as well, and they do not mesh with the style of the new rich. In order to revitalize their management, specialty stores should refurbish their interiors and improve their sales methods and customer talk with the new rich in mind as well.

The new rich, the potential customers, were hiding under the surface for a long time. When they emerged, they did not choose specialty stores, and they did not go to large discount stores either. They were brought to the surface by Phile-web.

Events that make use of the Phile-web Direct Marketing System (PWDMS), which I introduced in the last issue, are guaranteed to attract a full house. Only people who are interested in the event’s theme gather, and they are sure to make purchases. The new rich take part as well. This is a consumer revolution and a distribution revolution. In other words, you assemble interested people, including the new rich who have come to the surface, and directly and carefully introduce products to them. If this can be realized, unprecedented results can be achieved. Regarding the PWDMS, it is currently being examined with a view to achieving even greater precision. We also hope to have steady discussions with informed people in the industry.

While the plant-like business method is still mainstream, I believe that the PWDMS marks the arrival of a real animal-like business method. That is to say, there is a shift from the method of opening shop and waiting for customers to come, to one of assembling customers and then plying your trade. That is the way to definitely corral the new rich. We have entered an age in which the Internet must be used resourcefully.