Marketing strategy for
katana webshop
March 2021
Zealand Academy
Bachelor Student
How to use supernormal stimulus to optimize a shop that sells swords
In the 2nd semester project of my bachelor’s degree in Digital Concept Development, I was taught theories that my study group used to develop a solution proposal for a webshop owner who sold Katana swords. I personally know the company's owner since he and I were co-workers at a chain store at that time. Since I thought his webshop was an interesting case to explore, he allowed me and my four other group members to develop a marketing strategy proposal to optimize his shop.
We got to use tools like:
-
whitepaper
-
mood boards
-
biometrics
-
eye tracking
-
colour symbols
-
visual identity
Data collection via biometric methods
Desk research
To start, we conducted desk research and found relevant statistics to gain an idea of the target audience. Based on that, we assumed that the primary segment was men between 35 and 60.
Eye-tracking via iMotions
We collected data using biometric methods, which assess a consumer's emotions, cognitive abilities, attention, and psychological stimuli. To gain a deeper insight into how consumers react to information, we set up a slideshow with images and videos inside a software program called iMotions. The programme covers an important piece of equipment within Biometrics: eye tracking. This is where we had the opportunity to see what the test subjects paid the most attention to.
Supernormal stimuli
The theory regarding supernormal stimuli is based on human evolutionary responses to sexiness and cuteness. This means we naturally get aroused when seeing a beautiful person or a fluffy kitten. This is why a billboard with an ad for a barbeque sauce might have a pair of bare legs in heels next to the bottle. Many companies also design adorable childish mascots. Based on that, we explored the website to find images that contained sexy or cute elements to include in the iMotions video. One of the images was with a woman to see if the theory of humans' response to beauty or sexiness is true. A cute element (or, since this case is based on Japanese culture, a Kawaii element), we found a pink katana sword.
iMotions
Our video contained Kong Fu Panda
Within Supernormal stimuli, there is evidence that cute people and animals can cause test subjects to respond positively. Therefore, a short video of the Kong Fu Panda film is included. The panda is an animal found in the East with childlike traits called neoteny. In the Pixar movie franchise Kong Fu Panda, the protagonist, Po, possesses some appearance and personality traits compared to children despite being an adult. Small snout, big eyes, clumsy and independent, and it arouses concern among people from both an evolutionary and civil society basis.The owner of House of Katana uses both sexiness and cuteness elsewhere on the webshop without perhaps even realising that it can help increase sales. This kind of data collection can help to see what needs to be changed on the website.
Disadvantages
While eye-tracking is a smart and modern way to get information, there can also be technological obstacles that we have tried to minimise. In between our slideshow, there is a video with small squares moving in different directions. During calibration, the test person has to look at defined locations so the eye tracker can adjust its internal model for the eye. Before someone clicks on the iMotions link, we prepare a message advising on lighting conditions and minimised movement to get the best possible result.
Results
We received 5 test subjects' reactions to the iMotions video. Most of them noticed the logo first and foremost when they saw the website's front page. However, it must be said that there is not a positive reaction that follows. When it comes to products, the attention is drawn to the details they didn't expect. This includes stands, bows and cards with text on them. This kind of database collection concludes that it is really useful to see what people notice first on the website, and we know from their reactions that they were not so happy with the logo and suggested a new one.
Solution
Beforehand, the company owner stated that the target audience is men of a younger demographic. However, based on our research, they are more mature, have a higher income, and care about quality products. To increase traffic and create awareness, as well as design the brand to cater to what we deemed to be the segmentation of House of Katanas, we presented solutions in a whitepaper to give to the owner.
Website and SoMe
The website is modern and simple. However, most users today are used to navigating highly visual pages and can easily get confused or annoyed when there is too much text and too few images. Some simple updates to the website will make it more aesthetically pleasing to browse and give the users a greater sense of expensive and luxurious products being sold.
Currency and language
As the website is geared towards the European market, it can be advantageous for the user to change the language and currency displayed on the page, making it more user-friendly and avoiding possible misunderstandings.
Based on the primary target audience (men aged 35-60), Facebook is the best choice for social media. It will also optimise the customer flow on the website if a more personalised identity is created for House of Katanas through social media, with a strong focus on Facebook. However, it is important to be aware that personal identity must be repeated on all platforms. Otherwise, customers will lose interest. Creating this identity and better cohesion between the different media requires regular updates, valuable content and a connection between Japanese culture, katanas and references to your products.
Content calendar
​​We created an example of a content calendar for the owner. It shows what to focus on regarding marketing, different anniversaries, and when and what time to post on social media. The calendar is filled in for the next six months and can be customised as needed. For example, Japan has a wealth of different holidays throughout the year. It's an opportunity to utilise these special days to create greater awareness of the webshop through marketing.
Website design
Colour usage and fonts
It would be beneficial to use the new dark blue colour on the website, as it is a colour that is very dynamic and eye-catching to users. This colour can be used on buttons, prices, offers and other important elements that should be highlighted. The colour helps create a call-to-action and can lead to customers purchasing or finding the information exciting and staying on the website longer. We suggested Century Gothic font for headlines and body text, as it is a web-safe font, which means it can be viewed on all devices. It's modern, simple and easy to read on the website.
Logo
A logo represents your company. It should contain a graphic symbol and a textor. In addition, the logo should be easily recognisable, contain user-friendly colours and be unique. The current logo depicting a house makes sense as it is called House of katanas, but on the other hand, it can also be confusing as, at first glance, you can't tell that the house is made of katanas. Therefore, we prepared several examples of logo designs with a modern look that positively represent the House of Katanas and clarify what product is being sold in the webshop. The logo examples are user-friendly and can also be used on icons and the like. The logos fit the current design and are recognisable.
*Lastly, I cannot take credit for the beautiful illustrations as they were made by my group member Iman Salim.