SUGATA RESEARCH | Japan Market Research Agency

WHO WE ARE

We’re a group of dedicated qualitative researchers who love helping our clients deepen their understanding and empathy for the Japanese market through observation, interaction, and exploration. We have the marketing mind-set to help facilitate the creative process and strategic considerations behind any important business decision.

WHAT WE DO

As a team of client-oriented professionals, Sugata Research provides high-quality and specialized marketing research services customized
to address your unique issues and challenges.

Outstanding reputation and achievements in qualitative research

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High quality respondents

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Experienced professionals with global diversity

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World class research labs

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OUR SERVICES

We recommend optimal solutions to address unique business issues of each client by leveraging a range of methodologies.

Consumer Research

Bespoke research engaging consumers of all life stages, across both mainstream and niche product and service categories, designed to provide understanding of diverse lifestyles, behaviours, needs, and preferences.

Business Research

Business facing research tailored to empower strategic planning and actionable insights based on the distinct attitudes, motivations and behaviours prevalent in the Japanese B2B market.

Healthcare

From medical professionals to patients and caregivers, healthcare research engages both sides of the equation, covering a wide range of topics ranging from branding and strategy to new product positioning, to help uncover valuable findings on the current and future direction of the Japanese medical sector.

Technology

Focused on all things technical and digital, technology research covers the gamut of industry, product and service categories, ranging from machines and devices to software solutions and services to gaming and content streaming, to deliver keen insights and glimpses of the future.

Depth/Focus Group Interview

Whether face-to-face or online, one-on-one interviews and group discussions are designed to deep dive into any given topic to elicit meaningful responses and consumer truths.

Ethnography

Immersive research methodology conducted in a more 'natural' environment (such as the home or place of business) to uncover deeper insights and behavioural understanding through interviews and obsevational techniques.

UI/UX Research

Research methodology that utilises end user feedback and behavioural observation to glean actionable insights into how users interact with products, the issues they encounter and potential unmet needs.

Cultural Intelligence

A broad and many faceted discipline, cultural intelligence enables the discovery, understanding, and mapping of a people’s socio-cultural contexts and outputs, whether it be for decoding the meaning of particular cultural “artifacts,” illuminating the latest street fashion trends, or understanding shifting political views.

CASE STUDIES

Consumer technology
Market analysis (understanding the market)

Consumer technology
Market analysis (understanding the market)

Australian Minority Communities and Facial Recognition Age Verification

On behalf of a global technology giant, we conducted face-to-face and remote interviews with members of Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander, and Pacific Islander communities to understand their opinions on a new Face ID-based age verification feature.

Through this research, our client was better able to understand the fears, concerns and aspirations around such technology, as well as improving the feature’s usage flow.

Consumer technology
Market analysis (understanding the market)

Consumer technology
Market analysis (understanding the market)

Customization of VR headset

We took our clients to Japanese homes in Tokyo and Osaka to observe and learn from VR enthusiasts.

Through this experience, insights and learnings around device and accessory customization for use in compact Japanese homes were surfaced.

Developing cross-team local knowledge to optimize VR device, accessory and app design for local needs was achieved through hands-on experience that wouldn’t otherwise be available.

General consumer goods
Market analysis (understanding the market)

General consumer goods
Market analysis (understanding the market)

Cooking Atlantic Salmon at home: A dive into Japanese consumer habits

To understand better consumer preferences for Atlantic salmon in Japan, we conducted a study with a unique methodology: Participants were asked to buy Atlantic salmon for sashimi and prepare it themselves.

We explored factors influencing Japanese consumer choices regarding Atlantic salmon, including quality and price considerations and limited cooking knowledge.
We also got to see some fantastic new recipes!

Consumer technology
Market analysis (understanding the market)

Consumer technology
Market analysis (understanding the market)

Understanding of diversity and inclusion in Japan

With a globally popular app aiming to implement inclusive features catering to Japanese users, we explored what diversity and inclusion meant in the context of Japanese society, and in what ways we could make every user feel included.

We found that while awareness surrounding diversity and inclusion has been expanding throughout recent years, there are persistent issues surrounding characteristics such as gender, disabilities, body sizes, ethnicities and age.

To build a more inclusive platform, we learned that it would be key to showcase diverse and personalized content and promote inclusivity among users by providing educational content regarding diversity and inclusion.

General consumer goods
Brand communications
Market analysis (understanding the market)

General consumer goods
Brand communications
Market analysis (understanding the market)

Gauging resonance of new real-time-strategy game offering

We helped a global renowned game developer and publisher gauge reactions among Japanese gamers to their latest strategy game offering.

Learning from the research enabled positioning and marketing communications to be honed for the Japanese market.

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