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  WR Forums
  Market Issues and Barriers
  Marketing in Japan.

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Author Topic:   Marketing in Japan.
Yoshitaka Fujiwara
Member

Posts: 24
From: Tokyo, Japan
Since: Mar 2001

posted 28 March 2001 10:51 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Yoshitaka Fujiwara   Click Here to Email Yoshitaka Fujiwara     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I am often asked;
videoconferencing market is still very small in Japan. Why?

GDP is NO.2 in the world after US.
Population is 1/2 of US.
Land is 1/20 of US.
Videoconferencing market is 1/10 of US (people say, but unconfirmed).

People like SONYs, HONDAs, TOYOTAa, Panasonics, ..., many IT devices...

Will anyone have good ideas?

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Tokyo Joe
Member

Posts: 2
From: tokyo
Since: Mar 2001

posted 29 March 2001 11:45 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Tokyo Joe   Click Here to Email Tokyo Joe     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Are you Kidding?

call me Ill advise you...81 3 5363 8459

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Yoshitaka Fujiwara
Member

Posts: 24
From: Tokyo, Japan
Since: Mar 2001

posted 30 March 2001 08:25 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Yoshitaka Fujiwara   Click Here to Email Yoshitaka Fujiwara     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Joe, I'm not kidding you, because I'm not so young to kid.

Market is big enough, you think so,in Japan?

Next monday I will try to call you!

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Sandy
Member

Posts: 23
From: Irvine,CA,USA
Since: Feb 2001

posted 18 April 2001 04:19 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Sandy   Click Here to Email Sandy     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
quote:

videoconferencing market is still very small in Japan. Why?


This is the question.
I think we can convert this question to
another question.
The question is "Why do we have 'face to face' meeting?"

If video conference solve some items for face to face meeting, it's great system.
it will be valuable. If not, it's useless.

So it is good idea to find out "why face to face meeting ?".
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
There may be many reason we have face to face meeting.

----------------------------------------
The reason to have face to face meeting?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1)After business discussion
1a)Drinking
1b)Majohng, traditional Chinese game
1c)Golf

2)During discussion
2a)To find out peoples response checking
people's action. ex. 1mm eyeball moving
,0.5 second eyeball stopping, a few mm
cheek moving.

2b)What else?

3)Real meeting
(Still in some Japanese company, meeting
is for reporting. Discussion are
supposed finished before meeting
started.)

3a)Person to person talking.

==========================================
Solution and system requirement

1)After business,
We must have 3D virtual game center or
bar for after business purpose with security
guaranteed.
(This is NOT kidding. I think it will
happen within 20 years when current
network gamer and chatter people will
be majority for business world )

2)During business.
Off course current video conference system is not good enough to detect "Japanese people's emotion", small face part moving.
We need higher resolution camera and more bandwidth. Or camera detects it and send that information, media processor based system can do that theoretically.

3) Real meeting...
3G phone, in Japan call IMT2000 will solve this problem. But Japanese need cubicle to do meeting.

Thank you

P.S.
When Japan economy was good, if we could install videoconference system in Karaoke box, and make competition like between Osaka and Tokyo, we could have made successes in the market and many people might start using video conference systems, naturally.
We just miss the best timing.


[Note: This message has been edited by AndyN]

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Yoshitaka Fujiwara
Member

Posts: 24
From: Tokyo, Japan
Since: Mar 2001

posted 22 April 2001 08:16 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Yoshitaka Fujiwara   Click Here to Email Yoshitaka Fujiwara     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Sandy,

Japanese people, including me, seem to be a Martian according to your opinion.

Too expensive device and too poor quality have been the main reasons why videoconferencing market is still small in Japan.

We, Japanese people living on the earth, like new technology very much, for example that i-Mode, Internet by cellular phone system, has been developed very quickly and widely as of now in Japan.

The proper marketing approach is needed to make big business of videoconferencing system here in Japan, I think.

Yoshitaka Fujiwara

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Sandy
Member

Posts: 23
From: Irvine,CA,USA
Since: Feb 2001

posted 24 April 2001 08:30 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Sandy   Click Here to Email Sandy     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
to Mr.Fujiwara,

\Japanese people, including me, seem to
\be a Martian according to your opinion.

^^;
But, my feeling is the difference between people in a same country and a same race is bigger than the difference between races and countries
Ahh...by the way, I am one of Martian,but maybe you are not...

\Too expensive device and too poor quality \have been the main reasons why \videoconferencing market is still small in \Japan.

But the condition is as same as USA, except room rental fee, cost for meeting rooms.

(Off course there are many exception like NY is more expensive though)

So I don't think simly it's because of price and because of quality.
There must have something.

\We, Japanese people living on the earth, \like new technology very much, for example \that i-Mode, Internet by cellular phone \system, has been developed very quickly and \widely as of now in Japan.

Yes, it is known that early adoptors ratio is very high in Japan. So there must have some problem.

\The proper marketing approach is needed to \make big business of videoconferencing \system here in Japan, I think.

I agree with you.


- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
My opinion is still "nemawashi" is important
in Japan. But VC system is expensive and designed for many people to many people meeting. But for "nemawashi", it is required one to one VC system and small rooms,is not supplied by company.

So I expected 3G phone will solve this problem.

nemawashi: Before formal meeting, people
in charge make some kind of
conclusion.

Sandy Tanaka (male)

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Yoshitaka Fujiwara
Member

Posts: 24
From: Tokyo, Japan
Since: Mar 2001

posted 25 April 2001 06:36 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Yoshitaka Fujiwara   Click Here to Email Yoshitaka Fujiwara     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Tanaka-san,

quote:
Originally posted by Sandy:
to Mr.Fujiwara,
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
My opinion is still "nemawashi" is important
in Japan. But VC system is expensive and designed for many people to many people meeting. But for "nemawashi", it is required one to one VC system and small rooms,is not supplied by company.

So I expected 3G phone will solve this problem.

nemawashi: Before formal meeting, people
in charge make some kind of
conclusion.

Sandy Tanaka (male)


3 years ago NTT launched small and handy type VC telephone system, Phoenix-Mini, overstated I thought, and very nice for personal use like a telephone.

But it could not take off for two main reasons;
The price was as high as a personal computer machine.
And also ISDN was not so popular in Japan those days.

Now we, Japanese people, are entering into broadband era. It is a good opportunity for successful companies to develop into Japan market, I believe.

Yoshitaka Fujiwara

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Sandy
Member

Posts: 23
From: Irvine,CA,USA
Since: Feb 2001

posted 25 April 2001 12:49 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Sandy   Click Here to Email Sandy     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
\3 years ago NTT
http://www.ntteast.co.jp/ced/shop/products/tvphone.html

In USA I saw this type of system in Freys,
but we can not see customers to watch it.

\But it could not take off for two main

\reasons;

\The price was as high as a personal
\ computer machine.
Now about US$ 700.

\And also ISDN was not so popular
\in Japan those days.

So your idea is Ether net (including ADSL) based (H.323) with TV-phone style system will be main stream in Japan, isn't it?

Thank you

Sandy Tanaka(male)


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Yoshitaka Fujiwara
Member

Posts: 24
From: Tokyo, Japan
Since: Mar 2001

posted 26 April 2001 12:01 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Yoshitaka Fujiwara   Click Here to Email Yoshitaka Fujiwara     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Tanaka-san,

50% I agree with you, because for mission critical use ISDN videoconferencing must be the main means although IP videoconferencing may be popular way in the future, at least within a year.

But a few years later when the new technology that can break through the bottle neck of the Internet will have to be revealed and realized exactly, IP videoconferencing must be the final means for remote communications including cellular phone connections.

Almost all the manufacturere of videoconferencing system will have to innovate their production styles and shift to IP.

Yoshitaka Fujiwara

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Sandy
Member

Posts: 23
From: Irvine,CA,USA
Since: Feb 2001

posted 26 April 2001 05:11 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Sandy   Click Here to Email Sandy     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote

These year,
ISDN: Business
IP : Hobby,(Intra-net?)

A few years later

IP: for everything

\Almost all the manufacturere
\of videoconferencing system will
\have to innovate their production
\styles and shift to IP.


What do you thinkg about for ratio about

A)TV phone sytle
B)3G cellular phone
C)set top type VC for meeting room
D) PC+accelerator type VC for meeting room
E) Normal PC + USB camera
F) Notebook+ USB camera or built in system.

?

Product segment "A" and "B" will continue being handled by TEL company, like NTT or ATTs.

Product segment "C","D" and "E"
Some people says "E" is enough in future.
But I don't know it's right or not.

If it is half correct, "c" and "d" type makers should supply higher-end products, higher resolution.
I think it must be but our marketing is a little negative to higher resolution VC market, currently ^^;.

What do you think about? >>> all VC makers?

Sandy Tanaka

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Yoshitaka Fujiwara
Member

Posts: 24
From: Tokyo, Japan
Since: Mar 2001

posted 27 April 2001 09:49 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Yoshitaka Fujiwara   Click Here to Email Yoshitaka Fujiwara     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
2 dog-years later
10%: VC via ISDN for critical business use
90%: IP for casual communications, including business, daily life and hobby uses

The idea of product segment will be not so important, because all products will evolve more than current style, and also all kinds of products will be able to connect together via gateway.

Electric power companies will play important parts in the future, because they have connections among ALL households. In all households, we have already "intranet" of electric wires inside our houses.

IP videoconferencing, and of course Internet, will have to be performed through electric wires.

Tel companies like NTT or ATT will have less power than today.

Market of videoconferencing, both hardware and software, will grow and become very huge 2 years later.

Last year NTT DoCoMo, a group company of NTT, made a profit of 10 billion USD in Japan.
Their business is specialized in cellular phone and i-Mode(Internet by cellular phone).

Though their high profit is due to too expensive charging system, any videoconferencing company will have the chance to earn like profit, 10 billion! in the future in Japan at least.

Yoshitaka Fujiwara

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Carl L Gough
Sr. Member

Posts: 34
From: Tokyo
Since: Mar 2001

posted 09 May 2001 10:10 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Carl L Gough   Click Here to Email Carl L Gough     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
My thoughts on this are meek compared to what you have already outlined,
I think that for IP to become the norm for VC use, firstly we need to open up the fibre markets here in Tokyo, This will reduce the price of capacity and allow MNC's to deploy larger networks to incorporate IP services for Voice and video.

The bottom line
3G is still awaiting handsets, appart from NEC and matsushita that have come up with NTT's handsets for their launch, I think that the same will happen with VC, Sure, Polycom have Via video and Picturetel have i- series and the 550 which does both ISDN and Ip,(which works a treat over a Radvision L323 Gateway), but to successfully conduct a a multipoint ip Video call across a corporate infrastructure, it will take I believe x2 + 10 % capacity, for example a point to point call at 128k will require 128 from point a to b and backagain plus 10% and point b to a the same so over 500kbps for a point to point. imagine Multipoint.

As with anything in this industry , I dont think that it will be the manufactures ,Service operators and providers who determine the market, we saw this happen with SMS messaging, a technology that was ready years ago but until consumer demand kicked started it no one used it.

As for Japan, we are in prime position to kick start the conferencing world, because we are just beginning. There is no need to reinvent the wheel,just make the wheel smoother.

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Sandy
Member

Posts: 23
From: Irvine,CA,USA
Since: Feb 2001

posted 11 May 2001 08:13 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Sandy   Click Here to Email Sandy     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote

\ There is no need to reinvent
\the wheel,just make the wheel
\ smoother.

So your idea is we need the lubricating oil.

What are lubricating oil?
Price only?
For example, free VC system but
chareged by every min.?

or are there anything?

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Yoshitaka Fujiwara
Member

Posts: 24
From: Tokyo, Japan
Since: Mar 2001

posted 12 May 2001 09:48 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Yoshitaka Fujiwara   Click Here to Email Yoshitaka Fujiwara     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Sandy:

What are lubricating oil?
Price only?
For example, free VC system but
chareged by every min.?

or are there anything?



A plenty of advertising!

On TV, newspapers and magazines.

Videoconferencing is still not so popular among 'usual' businessmen here in Japan.

3 years ago NTT was sometimes advertising their handy type conferencing product "Phoenix-mini" on TV commercial, but the content of the film was very poor and had low understandability.

I doubted why they wasted much money.

They stopped them in a short period.

Once bitten, twice shy.
Or, a burnt child fears the fire.

We need the brave!

Yoshitaka Fujiwara


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Sandy
Member

Posts: 23
From: Irvine,CA,USA
Since: Feb 2001

posted 25 May 2001 05:12 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Sandy   Click Here to Email Sandy     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
So conclusion is...
Encourage "WR" to negotiate with all VC company to co-promote VC system itself,doesn't it?

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Yoshitaka Fujiwara
Member

Posts: 24
From: Tokyo, Japan
Since: Mar 2001

posted 26 May 2001 11:00 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Yoshitaka Fujiwara   Click Here to Email Yoshitaka Fujiwara     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Yes, of course.

Wainhouse Research should persuade Polycom+PictureTel, the giant, to promote their systems strongly in Japan.

I will be happy to help and support for them to do it if they are the brave.

Yoshitaka Fujiwara

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Carl L Gough
Sr. Member

Posts: 34
From: Tokyo
Since: Mar 2001

posted 27 May 2001 08:40 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Carl L Gough   Click Here to Email Carl L Gough     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
FGujiwara san,

Im right behind you. Now with Picturetel uinder the Polycom banner, the market here will be very lucrative indeed.

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