ROI Case File No.322 | 'Frontier's Invisible Customers'

Chapter 1: The Mystery of Store Visits—Why Do They Come to Bookstores?

The week after the NexBridge OKR case was solved, a consultation arrived from Tokyo regarding customer analysis for a bookstore chain. Episode 322 of Volume 27, "The Pursuit of Reproducibility," tells the story of verbalizing the "jobs to be done" hidden behind purchases.

"Detective, we operate 42 stores nationwide. However, competition with e-commerce has reduced our store visit frequency. Customer traffic decreased by 18% year-over-year. The problem is that we don't understand 'why customers come to our stores.' To buy books? That alone doesn't explain it."

Rie Maeda, Marketing Director of Frontier Books, a Shibuya native, visited 221B Baker Street unable to hide her confusion. In her hands were graphs of customer traffic and, in stark contrast, analysis documents marked "customer visit purpose unknown."

"We operate a bookstore chain nationwide, centered in Tokyo. Founded 38 years ago. 42 stores. We sell books, magazines, and stationery. However, with the rise of e-commerce, store visitors continue to decline."

Frontier's Declining Store Traffic: - Established: 1987 (bookstore chain) - Annual revenue: ¥8.2 billion (down 12% YoY) - Store count: 42 stores - Annual visitors: 4.2 million (down 18% YoY) - EC sales ratio: 15% (increasing annually) - Problem: Unable to understand "why customers visit stores," preventing effective measures

Deep anxiety filled Maeda's voice.

"The problem isn't just declining customer traffic. Even when we hold store events, we can't predict their draw. Even when we post on social media, it doesn't lead to store visits. We can't see 'what customers want.'"

Typical Failed Initiatives:

Initiative 1: Author Signing Event (Last Fall): - Invited famous author for signing - Target attendance: 300 people - Actual: 85 people (28%) - Book sales: Only signed books purchased, no other books sold - Result: ¥420,000 revenue against ¥800,000 cost (loss)

Initiative 2: Reading Café Space Installation (This Spring): - Set up café space in corner of store - Purpose: Extend stay time, promote purchases - Result: Many customers read in café but left without buying (12% purchase rate)

Initiative 3: SNS Campaign "#MyBookOfTheDay" (This Summer): - Post purchased book on social media for 10% off next visit - Posts: 420 posts (3 months) - Store visit increase: Effect unclear

Maeda sighed deeply.

"We aim to 'sell books.' But do customers visit 'to buy books'? Looking around the store, there are people who browse and leave without buying, people who only buy stationery, people who kill time in the café... They're all different. What are they seeking?"

Chapter 2: The Illusion of Products—The Purpose Hidden Behind Purchases

"Ms. Maeda, how are products purchased at your bookstores classified?"

To my question, Maeda answered.

"Books are 70%, magazines 18%, stationery 12%. However, recently the stationery ratio has increased. The book purchase rate is declining."

Current Understanding (Product Classification Type): - Analysis: What was bought (books, magazines, stationery) - Problem: Cannot see customers' "purpose"

I explained the importance of seeing the "job" behind purchases.

"Customers don't buy products. They buy 'things they want to do.' Jobs to be Done theory—JTBD. What customers 'hire' isn't the product, but the means to achieve a purpose. If we verbalize that purpose, measures become visible."

⬜️ ChatGPT | Concept Catalyst

"Don't sell products. Understand customers' 'jobs to be done.' See through purchases with JTBD theory."

🟧 Claude | Story Alchemist

"Behind purchases, there's always 'wanting to change mood.' Verbalize that job."

🟦 Gemini | Compass of Reason

"JTBD is purpose analysis technology. See through why customers 'hire' products. Sell jobs, not products."

The three members began analysis. Gemini deployed the "JTBD framework" on the whiteboard.

Three Elements of JTBD Theory: 1. Job: The purpose customers want to achieve 2. Hire: The reason for choosing a product/service 3. Fire: The reason for switching to another product/service

"Ms. Maeda, let's investigate 'what jobs customers want to accomplish by visiting' Frontier."

Chapter 3: Discovery Through Observation—Three Jobs Behind Purchases

Phase 1: Customer Observation (4 weeks)

We stationed ourselves in stores and observed customer behavior.

Observation Method: - Observed in 10 stores for 2 days each - Recorded visitors' stay time, movement patterns, shelves visited, purchase content - Post-purchase interviews with some customers (150 cooperators)

Phase 2: Customer Interviews (150 people)

Questions: "What brought you to the bookstore today?" "What will you do with the book (or stationery) you purchased?"

Analyzing responses revealed three patterns:

Job 1: Learn - 48%

Customer A (28, office worker, male): "I need new skills for work. I'm looking for programming books. I could buy them online, but I want to actually flip through pages and find a book that suits me."

Purchase: Programming introduction book (¥2,800)

Customer B (35, homemaker, female): "I'm worried about my child's education. I want to read parenting books to get hints."

Purchase: Parenting book (¥1,600)

Common points: - Purpose: Gain knowledge, solve problems - Behavior: Stay 30+ minutes in specialized/practical book sections - Emotion: "I want to grow myself"

Job 2: Give - 28%

Customer C (42, office worker, male): "I'm looking for picture books for my daughter's birthday present. I want to see her happy face."

Purchase: 2 picture books (¥3,200), gift wrapping

Customer D (52, homemaker, female): "My friend is hospitalized. For a get-well gift, I want to bring an essay she likes."

Purchase: Essay (¥1,400), message card

Common points: - Purpose: Make someone happy, convey feelings - Behavior: Stay 15 minutes in children's/gift sections, request wrapping - Emotion: "I want to see their smile"

Job 3: Heal - 24%

Customer E (30, office worker, female): "I'm tired from work. I want to refresh myself by slowly reading a magazine in the café."

Purchase: Fashion magazine (¥980), 1 hour café stay

Customer F (45, self-employed, male): "Sunday afternoon, nothing particular to do. I like wandering the bookstore and finding interesting books."

Purchase: Novel (¥1,800), stationery (¥500)

Common points: - Purpose: Change mood, refresh - Behavior: Browse store 30+ minutes, visit multiple sections - Emotion: "I want to step away from daily life"

Phase 3: Job Quantification (1 week)

We aggregated interview results from 150 people.

Customer Job Classification:

Discoveries: - "Learn" customers are most numerous (48%), with high purchase amounts - "Heal" customers have low purchase amounts but long stay times - "Give" customers have high purchase amounts and gift wrapping needs

Chapter 4: Design Based on Jobs—A Store Serving Three Jobs

Phase 4: Store Layout Redesign (3 months)

We implemented zoning corresponding to the three Jobs.

Model Store (Shibuya Store):

Zone 1: Learning Zone - Target: "Learn" Job (48%) - Placement: Specialized books, practical books, business books - Innovations: - Genre-specific "Problem-Solving Corners" - "Career Skill Development," "Parenting Concerns," "Health Management," etc. - Chairs for trial reading - AI recommendation terminal: "People who read this book also read..."

Zone 2: Giving Zone - Target: "Give" Job (28%) - Placement: Children's books, picture books, gift-appropriate books - Innovations: - Adjacent gift wrapping counter - "Recommended Books by Recipient" special corner - "For Children," "For Friends," "For Supervisors," etc. - Free message cards provided

Zone 3: Healing Zone - Target: "Heal" Job (24%) - Placement: Novels, essays, magazines, stationery - Innovations: - Adjacent to café space - BGM and relaxing atmosphere - "Books Chosen by Today's Mood" feature - "When You Want to Laugh," "When You Want to Cry," "When You Want to Think"

Phase 5: Job-Specific Promotions (3 months)

We implemented measures corresponding to each Job.

Learn Job: - Initiative: "Problem-Solving Fair" - "For Those Considering Career Change," "For Those Starting Side Businesses" - SNS: "#WhatILearnedToday" posting campaign - Result: Specialized book sales +28%

Give Job: - Initiative: "Give Books to Important People" Campaign - Free gift wrapping (limited period) - "Perfect Gift Books" feature - Result: Children's/picture book sales +42%, gift wrapping use +180%

Heal Job: - Initiative: "Healing Sunday" Event - Book reading meetup in café - Author talk show (healing essayist) - Result: Sunday visitor count +22%, café usage rate +35%

Chapter 5: The Results of Redefinition—Recovery After 12 Months

Results After 12 Months:

Store Visitors: - Before: 4.2 million annually - After: 4.98 million annually (+19%)

Revenue: - Before: ¥8.2 billion - After: ¥9.4 billion (+15%)

Customer Satisfaction: - Before: 3.8/5 - After: 4.6/5

Job-Specific Results:

Learn Job: - Specialized/practical book sales: +28% - AI recommendation terminal usage: 12,000 times/month average - Customer voice: "I found the book I was looking for"

Give Job: - Children's/gift book sales: +42% - Gift wrapping usage: +180% - Customer voice: "Choosing presents became fun"

Heal Job: - Café usage rate: +35% - Sunday visitor count: +22% - Customer voice: "The bookstore became my refresh space"

Organizational Change:

Marketing Policy Shift: - Before: "Sell books" - After: "Support customers' Jobs"

Job-Specific KPI Setting: - Learn Job: Specialized book sales, recommendation usage rate - Give Job: Gift wrapping usage rate, children's book sales - Heal Job: Stay time, café usage rate

Maeda's Reflection:

"Until we learned JTBD theory, we only thought about 'selling books.' We thought customers visited 'to buy books.'

But in reality, customers visited to accomplish jobs of 'wanting to learn,' 'wanting to give,' 'wanting to be healed.' Books were merely the means to accomplish those jobs.

This perspective shift changed everything. For 'Learn' customers, problem-solving corners. For 'Give' customers, gift selection support. For 'Heal' customers, relaxation space.

By responding to each Job, customer traffic increased by 19%. And customers began saying 'Frontier Books is on my side.'"

Store Staff Voices:

Shibuya Store Staff A: "Previously, when we asked customers 'Are you looking for something?', they often said 'No, just browsing.' But now, they ask specifically: 'I'm considering a career change, do you have recommended books?' Because there's a 'For Those Considering Career Change' corner in the Learning Zone."

Gift Corner Staff B: "Gift wrapping usage tripled. Customers say 'I want to give this to a friend' and 'I want to add a message card.' Previously, they just bought books and left. Now we can provide the value of 'books as gifts.'"

Chapter 6: The Detective's Diagnosis—Jobs Hidden Behind Purchases

That night, I reflected on the essence of JTBD theory.

Frontier Books had fixated on "selling books." But customers didn't buy books—they visited to accomplish jobs of "learning," "giving," and "healing."

By verbalizing customer purposes through JTBD theory, store design, promotions, everything changed. And customer traffic increased by 19%.

"Behind purchases, there's always 'something they want to do.' Verbalize that job. JTBD theory transforms products into jobs."

The next case will also depict the moment when customer purpose transforms business.

"Don't sell products. Support customers' jobs. Learn, Give, Heal. Verbalize customers' Jobs and provide means to accomplish those jobs."—From the detective's notes

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