news

Japan’s Designclue delivers crowdsourcing industry insights [Infographic]

Rick Martin 2013.08.09

Back in February we featured logo crowdsourcing service Designclue, which leverages the power of freelance designers regardless of their location. It’s operated by Tokyo-based startup Purple Cow, and recently the company released some information about its user base and how they work.

The company conducted a survey of 135 of its users, which is not an especially large sample size, but it does give us an idea of which nations are keen to use Designclue. It appears most popular in Indonesia, the Philippines, and Malaysia, although it also has users in its home market of Japan.

As you can see in the graphic below, When those users were asked where they receive crowdsourced requests from, the most common answers were the US, followed by Australia and Japan. These workers are using, on average, about four different crowdsourcing services to earn income, including Designclue, earning an average wage of about $1100 from that activity.

To see more of this information put together from the folks at Designclue, you can check out the full infographic below. It’s in Japanese, but I’ve summarized most of the main points above.

news

Japanese company to launch data sharing platform for 3D printing

Junya Mori 2013.08.09

See the original story in Japanese. Adways Labot, a subsidiary of Japanese internet company Adways, has launched a teaser for its 3D printing data sharing platform, which specializes in creating figures. The service is called Delmo, and it will be available later this month. The company already started distributing several samples of 3D printed data in STL format. We’ve recently seen many vendors introducing inexpensive 3D printers for individual users, and peripheral services have been springing up at the same time. Adways Labot is taking advantage of this trend, unveiled their sharing platform to allow users to share knowledge and exchange 3D printing data. We’ve also seen many communities where pictures of figures can be shared, including Pixiv and Wonder. When 3D printers attain higher penetration, there could be a huge need for sharing knowledge and data among users. Japanese news site Toyo Keizai Online recently interviewed David Reis, the CEO of Stratasys, where he unveiled some interesting user metrics. He says their 3D data library (available on the Stratasys website) sees a million visitors and 80,000 downloads every month. Makerbot has been strong in the education space, but it will also be interesting to see how it can evolve…

See the original story in Japanese.

Adways Labot, a subsidiary of Japanese internet company Adways, has launched a teaser for its 3D printing data sharing platform, which specializes in creating figures. The service is called Delmo, and it will be available later this month. The company already started distributing several samples of 3D printed data in STL format.

We’ve recently seen many vendors introducing inexpensive 3D printers for individual users, and peripheral services have been springing up at the same time. Adways Labot is taking advantage of this trend, unveiled their sharing platform to allow users to share knowledge and exchange 3D printing data.

We’ve also seen many communities where pictures of figures can be shared, including Pixiv and Wonder. When 3D printers attain higher penetration, there could be a huge need for sharing knowledge and data among users.

Japanese news site Toyo Keizai Online recently interviewed David Reis, the CEO of Stratasys, where he unveiled some interesting user metrics. He says their 3D data library (available on the Stratasys website) sees a million visitors and 80,000 downloads every month. Makerbot has been strong in the education space, but it will also be interesting to see how it can evolve in the figure space.

For Delmo, it will be probably hard to generate traffic in Japan since the platform targets a very niche group. They will probably need to expand globally like Tokyo Otaku Mode, which is now developing a strong following from users worldwide.

3D printing technology has been used at design studios and architectural offices for the purpose of rapid prototyping. These days, many startups including Makerbot, Cubify, and PP3DP are developing cheaper but more user-friendly 3D printers. Makerbot was acquired by the major 3D printer vendor Stratasys for $403 million. And here in Asia, Pirate3DP received funding amounting to $482,000 from Singapore-based Red Dot Ventures.

When we look at the Japanese market, electronics retail chain Bic Camera recently started selling Robotama.com’s’ CellP 3D printer. Another Japanese chain Yamada Denki also started 3Dsystem’s Cube and its high-end CubeX model, and Nojima has started selling the CubeX series on its e-commerce channel.

news

Japanese social network helps you find great souvenirs

Yukari Mitsuhashi 2013.08.09

Besides giant social networks like Facebook, Twitter, or Mixi, there are smaller social networks for niche markets, like dieting, pets, or traveling. I recently came across one such social network here in Japan called ‘Omiyagate’. ‘Omiyage’ means ‘souvenirs’ in Japanese, and this is a community that was built to allow people to talk about souvenirs they like. This idea may sound strange to many people outside of Japan, but here in this country, there is a very strong Omiyage culture. Wherether your trip is for business or pleasure, there is an underlying expectation that you bring back souvenirs. And if you’re giving out omiyage, it’s always better to be original. The Omiyagate social network gives you new ideas for souvenirs in the form of photos. Users on the site can upload photos of souvernirs that they have bought or received, and add a short text description. If you like what you see, you can show your interest by pushing the ‘suteki’ button (which means ‘nice’ or ‘lovely’ in Japanese) or bookmark souvenirs for reference. Souvenirs can be shared on Twitter, Facebook, and Mixi. The site could be even more useful if it let you find souvenirs from specific locations, so…

This idea may sound strange to many people outside of Japan, but here in this country, there is a very strong Omiyage culture. Wherether your trip is for business or pleasure, there is an underlying expectation that you bring back souvenirs. And if you’re giving out omiyage, it’s always better to be original. The Omiyagate social network gives you new ideas for souvenirs in the form of photos.

Users on the site can upload photos of souvernirs that they have bought or received, and add a short text description. If you like what you see, you can show your interest by pushing the ‘suteki’ button (which means ‘nice’ or ‘lovely’ in Japanese) or bookmark souvenirs for reference. Souvenirs can be shared on Twitter, Facebook, and Mixi.

The site could be even more useful if it let you find souvenirs from specific locations, so that you’ll know what to look for before you go on your trip.

Currently Omiyagate is available on the web, as well as on iOS and Android. To see what kind of souvenirs people are giving and receiving, check out the standout submissions on the Omiyagate popular list.

news

Need to improve your mobile game’s engagement? Ask this Fello

Takeshi Hirano 2013.08.08

See the original story in Japanese. Today Japanese startup Unicon launched a platform called Fello, aiming to help mobile gaming app developers improve the user retention rates in their apps. The platform provides testing and analysis features for typical mobile gaming app functions such as push notification or messaging via an SDK. For now, the tool is available for iOS and Android, with support for platforms like Unity, Cocos2d-x, and Air on the way. The startup was launched by entrepreneur Ryuichi Tanaka. He previously founded a different startup called Knockin’on [1], but went on to later work with Zynga Japan. He leads a team experienced in mobile gaming development, committed to serving native app developers with the tool. In comparison to GrowthPush, a similar solution that we (coincidentally) featured earlier today, the Fello platform also provides a messaging feature as well as measuring push notification performance. Since leaving my previous job (business department lead at Zynga Japan), I’ve been providing a KPI analysis tool for developers. Making a native app is more time-consuming than a browser-based app, and you will typically find problems to solve around screen transitions, charging users, and notifications. You’ll also need to develop a bulletin board…

See the original story in Japanese.

Today Japanese startup Unicon launched a platform called Fello, aiming to help mobile gaming app developers improve the user retention rates in their apps.

The platform provides testing and analysis features for typical mobile gaming app functions such as push notification or messaging via an SDK. For now, the tool is available for iOS and Android, with support for platforms like Unity, Cocos2d-x, and Air on the way.

The startup was launched by entrepreneur Ryuichi Tanaka. He previously founded a different startup called Knockin’on [1], but went on to later work with Zynga Japan. He leads a team experienced in mobile gaming development, committed to serving native app developers with the tool.

In comparison to GrowthPush, a similar solution that we (coincidentally) featured earlier today, the Fello platform also provides a messaging feature as well as measuring push notification performance.

Since leaving my previous job (business department lead at Zynga Japan), I’ve been providing a KPI analysis tool for developers. Making a native app is more time-consuming than a browser-based app, and you will typically find problems to solve around screen transitions, charging users, and notifications. You’ll also need to develop a bulletin board feature. So our tool provides developers with an analysis feature as well as helping them improve user retention.

The startup claims that a gaming app improves its retention rate by one and half times through push notification. They believe a Fello-enabled communication feature may raise that rate even further. Its analysis feature delivers useful metrics about an app, such as daily active users, user retention rate, and the number of app installations.

The startup was registered in Singapore and is now based there since casual games are on the rise in the South East Asia region.

Their monetization model looks a little unusual, since this tool is currently available for free. In their announcement, it was mentioned that they are planning to add features to help app developers drive user traffic and monetize. Based on that, we can assume they will launch advertising or premium services in the future. However, Tanaka didn’t disclose any specifics about how they will make money.

We’ve seen several app analysis tools in the US gaming market, where Flurry has been showing steadily growth since its launch back in 2005. Here in Japan, the recent smartphone shift will help the casual gaming app market expand further, almost certainly increasing the need for these kind of tools.

A startup running affiliate services and job posting sites. It was acquired by Japan’s leading car navigation system vendor Zenrin DataCom back in November of 2012. ↩

news

Japanese startup offers A/B testing for mobile push notifications

Takeshi Hirano 2013.08.08

See the original story in Japanese. CyberAgent subsidiary Sirok, the startup behind mobile photo app My365, announced yesterday that it has launched a tool for app developers to analyze user responses to push notifications. The service is called Growth Push, and allows you to conduct an A/B testing to measure user responses by implementing their SDK. The setup is free, and there is no monthly fee required for the first 50,000 notification testings. It is currently available (in Japanese) for iOS, but it will be coming to Android soon. This kind of growth hacking tool typically helps marketers increase their user base. In this space we’ve already seen AppSocially, which is now under the 500 Startups umbrella. We heard from the Sirok’s COO Yuto Mukoyama about their expectations for this tool. We learned that app developers need this kind of tool through our experience managing our apps My365 and Pipul (an avatar-based RPG). Developers need to focus on how they can efficiently retain users. Conventional web services typically have an e-mail notification feature, and a push notification is [the mobile] equivalent to that, and it is important in terms of keep users engaged in this mobile era. The startup tested…

See the original story in Japanese.

CyberAgent subsidiary Sirok, the startup behind mobile photo app My365, announced yesterday that it has launched a tool for app developers to analyze user responses to push notifications. The service is called Growth Push, and allows you to conduct an A/B testing to measure user responses by implementing their SDK.

The setup is free, and there is no monthly fee required for the first 50,000 notification testings. It is currently available (in Japanese) for iOS, but it will be coming to Android soon.

This kind of growth hacking tool typically helps marketers increase their user base. In this space we’ve already seen AppSocially, which is now under the 500 Startups umbrella.

We heard from the Sirok’s COO Yuto Mukoyama about their expectations for this tool.

We learned that app developers need this kind of tool through our experience managing our apps My365 and Pipul (an avatar-based RPG). Developers need to focus on how they can efficiently retain users. Conventional web services typically have an e-mail notification feature, and a push notification is [the mobile] equivalent to that, and it is important in terms of keep users engaged in this mobile era.

The startup tested this tool trying to improve the app launch rate of their game Pipul, and they confirmed that it had a positive impact. It lets you to conduct A/B testing to show different messages to both free users and to paying users. Mukoyama adds:

You can refine your app based on A/B test results and your measurement of the app launch rate or conversion rate. The tool primarily targets startups developing iOS-based gaming apps and community services. I believe we can help them improve user retention based on analytics.

Sirok was founded last year by many student entrepreneurs, and they went on to became a subsidiary of CyberAgent. The internet company helped them learn how to market app services, since the internet company has much experience launching its own apps in the past. Mukoyama elaborated on how his team foresees working with CyberAgent.

Ameba (CyberAgent’s blogging and virtual world platform) has released more than a few games, many with several million downloads. We expect to start acquiring users with this base. We’re aiming to have 1,000 apps using the tool worldwide in three months, sending out about 100 million notifications for their testings.

To date, photo app My365 has seen three million downloads, at a pace of about new 3,000 users a day. Their daily active users total reached 60,000 and is still rising.

news

Nail art startup puts Cute Japan at your fingertips

Yukari Mitsuhashi 2013.08.08

There are many ways to spread Japan’s Kawaii culture to the rest of the world. One common way, as we’ve seen recently, are mobile apps like Decopic or CocoPPa. But another Japanese startup called MiCHi has its sights set on something else: Finger nails. The company operates an ecommerce service that sells made-in-Japan nail tips, and so far it’s proving to be an easy sell. Hand-made nails designed by Japanese people are highly valued outside of the country. For many women all over the world, getting your nails done is an essential part of fashion. In Japan, so-called ‘Gel Nail’ is far more popular than regular manicures. The process involves a gel that dries quickly under special light, and it lasts up to three to four weeks, much longer than the average manicure. But these nails can be expensive. And that’s where MiCHi comes in, providing nail tips designed by Japanese specialists starting at $18. There are over 10 new designs made available every week. Interestingly, MiCHi was first made available to people outside of Japan, instead of launching in its home market. The ecommerce site was launched back in April of 2013, and unveiled its Japanese version only recently…

Hand-made nails designed by Japanese people are highly valued outside of the country.

For many women all over the world, getting your nails done is an essential part of fashion. In Japan, so-called ‘Gel Nail’ is far more popular than regular manicures. The process involves a gel that dries quickly under special light, and it lasts up to three to four weeks, much longer than the average manicure. But these nails can be expensive. And that’s where MiCHi comes in, providing nail tips designed by Japanese specialists starting at $18. There are over 10 new designs made available every week.

Interestingly, MiCHi was first made available to people outside of Japan, instead of launching in its home market. The ecommerce site was launched back in April of 2013, and unveiled its Japanese version only recently on August 6th.

In an interview with TechWave, the CEO Shun Nakazaki explains:

I’m sure that there are many Japanese women who have received compliments from people about their nails when they visit overseas countries. Hand-made nails designed by Japanese people are highly valued outside of the country. Since these nail tips are light in weight, the cost of shipping them is cheap. It is a good material to bring to the rest of the world.

MiCHi has over 370,000 fans of its Facebook page, and its users are mainly from New York and Paris. By launching a site for Japan as well, the company plans to acquire more nail design specialists to work for MiCHi. There are currently over 30 ‘nailists’ registered, with the hope to have 100 by the end of the year.

MiCHi was one of five startups from recently included in Movida Japan’s acceleration program.

Japan’s Designclue delivers crowdsourcing industry insights [Infographic]

Recent Articles

Trends

Japanese company to launch data sharing platform for 3D printing

Japanese social network helps you find great souvenirs

Need to improve your mobile game’s engagement? Ask this Fello

Japanese startup offers A/B testing for mobile push notifications

Nail art startup puts Cute Japan at your fingertips

Related news

Recent Articles

Trends

Related news

Related news

Related news

Related news

Related news