Did you know that the average person in Japan consumes about 7 liters of soy sauce every year (Source: KATI)? In comparison, Americans use only 0.6 to 1 liter annually. This striking contrast underscores how integral soy sauce is to Japanese food culture.
Despite being a kitchen staple, finding the right soy sauce can be a challenge for many Japanese. That’s exactly what Takahashi, the founder of Shokunin Shoyu, set out to solve. Recognizing that people often struggle to find the perfect match for their dishes, he created Shokunin Shoyu (Artisan Soy Sauce). It’s a specialty store offering 100 carefully curated varieties from over 400 breweries across Japan.
Here are three key points he focused on to tackle this challenge.
1. Focus on the Consumer’s Job-to-be-Done vs. Brand’s Agenda
Consumers are eating food, not just soy sauce. Shokunin Shoyu understands this and focuses on enhancing the foods customers love. For example, Shiro is perfect for dressings, Usukuchi pairs beautifully with tofu and vegetables, Amakuchi enhances rice or steamed fish, Koikuchi complements fried fish and eggs, Saishikomi is ideal for red sashimi or steak, and Tamari elevates teriyaki. By centering its offerings around the specific dishes people enjoy, Shokunin Shoyu ensures each soy sauce enhances the overall dining experience.
Shokunin Shoyu takes it a step further by designing labels that highlight the dishes each soy sauce pairs with.
The packaging features visuals like egg, rice, meat, dumplings, and even ice cream. In contrast, many other brands focus on describing the taste, such as “light salty flavor with a strong umami and sweet aftertaste.” This intuitive approach simplifies the decision-making process by focusing on the consumer’s needs.
Many brands make the mistake of highlighting how their product is different or scientifically superior, often overlooking how customers will actually use it. This can create confusion. In contrast, Shokunin Shoyu clearly addresses the customer’s needs, making it easier for them to choose the right product.
2. Change Consumer Purchase Habits with Packaging Strategy
Traditionally, soy sauce is sold in large, liter-sized bottles. However, Shokunin Shoyu challenged this norm by offering 100ml bottles. Initially, many soy sauce brewers were skeptical, fearing that the smaller bottles wouldn’t generate enough sales.
Takahashi, however, had a different vision. He wanted to offer a variety of soy sauces for different dishes, so he chose smaller bottles to give customers the opportunity to try multiple options. This decision ultimately shifted consumer buying habits,
encouraging more frequent and diverse purchases of soy sauce.
Although the 100ml bottles had a higher price per liter than the larger ones, they were still affordable at around 500 yen (about 3 US dollars). Customers started buying sets of three or five, choosing flavors that suited their favorite dishes. As a result, the average spend per customer increased. This shift in buying habits helped expand the soy sauce industry, encouraging more frequent purchases.
3. Embed the Brand into Consumers’ Interests
How often do people think about soy sauce in their daily lives? Most people only think about it when they run out. But cooking is different. Many people follow cooking channels on YouTube or spend hours experimenting in the kitchen.
Shokunin Shoyu capitalizes on this by sharing recipes that incorporate its soy sauces. By offering useful content, the brand keeps customers engaged and seamlessly integrates its products into their everyday lives.
In summary, Shokunin Shoyu has contributed to the growth of the soy sauce industry by (1) focusing on consumers’ jobs-to-be-done, (2) changing purchasing habits, and (3) embedding the brand into customers’ interests.
If you’re visiting Tokyo, I highly recommend checking out Shokunin Shoyu!
Shokunin Shoyu | Matsuya Ginza, B2F (3-6-1 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, 104-8130)