Analyzing the rapidly growing interest in Gacha Gacha using data! Introducing cases applied in marketing

Capsule toys are toys, figures, and miscellaneous items that come in small capsules. They are sold through special vending machines called “Gashapon” or “Gacha Gacha.” The relatively affordable price and how the items you receive are random provide a sense of excitement and stimulate the desire to collect, captivating people. According to the Japan Capsule Toy Association, the market size (based on manufacturer shipments) in the fiscal year 2023 was approximately 115 billion Japanese yen, up 60% from 72 billion Japanese yen the previous year, indicating that the popularity of Gacha Gacha is rapidly growing.

In this article, we analyze the interest groups for Gacha Gacha by focusing on the websites of three leading companies in the capsule toy industry (Bandai Namco, TAKARA TOMY A.R.T.S., and Kitan Club).

The analysis will be conducted using “Dockpit,” an online behavioral analytics tool from VALUES, Inc. that enables users to analyze competitors’ websites and research trends using behavior data updated monthly, all within their browser.

Bandai Namco Holdings, a leader in the toy market, has been selling capsule toys under the Gashapon brand since 1977. The company also operates a “Gashapon department store” with a wide range of Gashapon vending machines and is looking to expand overseas.

TAKARA TOMY A.R.T.S., a consolidated subsidiary of Tomy Company, Ltd., is a well-known Japanese toy company that started manufacturing and selling capsule toys in 1986 and registered the trademark “GACHA” in 1996.

A company committed to creating products with love, driven by unique ideas and quality found nowhere else. With a distinctive lineup, it stands out from major manufacturers. With highly original products, the company has a presence that sets it apart from major manufacturers and is the creator of “Cup no Fuchiko” (a series of figurines of a small office worker character “Fuchiko-san” that can sit or hang on the rim of a cup), which was a hit, selling 20 million units as of 2021.

What demographics of users do each of the three websites attract? To begin, we will look at changes in the number of visitors to each website over the last two years.

We found that the number of visitors to all websites has increased. Bandai Namco (blue), in particular, saw a nearly fourfold increase in the number of visitors compared to two years ago.

Next, we will look at the attributes of visitors to each website.

We found that female visitors accounted for more than 60% of the visitors to all of the websites. Women account for more than 70.5% of the visitors to the Kitan Club website. Typical examples of Kitan Club's work include "Cup no Fuchiko,” “Neko no Kaburimono,” and “Onigiringu.” The fact that all of these items tend to be of interest to women may be a factor in attracting a higher percentage of female visitors compared to other websites.

It was found that the percentage of visitors in their 20s and 30s is higher compared to the overall proportion of internet users.

So far, we have examined visitors to the official websites of three popular Gacha Gacha companies. To further understand who is interested in Gacha Gacha, in the following sections, we will examine who is searching for Gacha Gacha-related words. We will define “Gacha Gacha-related searches” as those who have conducted searches that include keywords “Gacha Gacha (written ガチャガチャ),” “Gacha Gacha (written がちゃがちゃ),” “capsule toy,” “Gachapon,” and “Gashapon,” and analyze them.

First, to get an idea of what people are looking for in regards to Gacha Gacha, we look at the top 30 keywords that are frequently searched together with Gacha Gacha-related words, ranked in order of number of people searching.

It appears that many people search the internet for where the Gacha Gacha machines are located (indicated in blue in the table above) and Gacha Gacha items of famous and popular characters (indicated in red in the table above). While it is thought that many people are attracted to and use Gacha Gacha while wandering around town, those who are clear about exactly which item they want use the internet to search to check where the Gacha Gacha are installed and the details of the items. These people are likely to be highly enthusiastic about Gacha Gacha.

Many people also search in combination with Disney (indicated in green in the table above). At the Disney Resort (Disneyland and DisneySea), they have Gacha Gacha of original designs that can only be found at the park. These are cute items that everyone, regardless of whether they are Disney fans or not, will want to have. It may be that people are searching into what kind of items they can expect and where the Gacha Gacha machines are installed within the vast grounds of the park.

Kura Sushi is a famous sushi chain that offers a prize for every five sushi plates. By collaborating with trendy characters for its “Bikkura Pon!” prizes, the company is attracting customers from its fan base. This may be helping increase the awareness around Kura Sushi as well as attract new customers.

This is an example of a collaborative event between Kura Sushi and Chiikawa. The event was a great success. Also, in 2020, the collaboration campaign with “Demon Slayer” led to the highest sales ever on a weekday for all restaurants on the first day it became available. The “Bikkura Pon!” prizes were one of the motivations for customers to visit the stores, and as a result, sales increased. The added entertainment value unique to Gacha Gacha experience of “not knowing what you will get” may also be linked to higher customer satisfaction.

The way in which a company like Kura Sushi has installed Gacha Gacha within its restaurants to improve operations and attract customers is a unique example that is difficult for other companies to imitate. However, it is also true that the introduction of such a system can be a factor that differentiates the company from others and attracts consumer attention. This approach, which leverages popular IPs as a means of attracting customers, is also worth noting.

MUJI's Gacha Gacha, which was installed exclusively at four Shinjuku stores from 2023, became popular mainly on social media. Familiar items such as its small snacks, drinks, and curry have been made into miniature-sized mascots and masking tapes to sell as Gacha Gacha prizes.

MUJI's Gacha Gacha spread especially through X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram, and when the Gacha Gacha machines were first set up, there were eager customers who waited in line and it was sold out one after another. By limiting the implementation to four MUJI stores in Shinjuku, it can be said that the company succeeded in attracting customers from far away while minimizing inventory risk during the trial.

In addition, the experience of opening a Gacha Gacha prize and the unique items inside the capsules make for great content to share on social media, with nearly 580,000 videos with “#GachaGacha” posted on TikTok at the time this article was written (Auguest 22, 2024). It could be said that MUJI has expanded its engagement on social media using its unique Gacha Gacha.

It is a simple strategy to make a small, cute version of one's own product into a Gacha Gacha, but it was a move that captured the moment of the past few years. As shown in these examples, Gacha Gacha may be considered an effective measure to attract customers and increase awareness of the company.

In this article, we analyzed the demographic interested in Gacha Gacha and examined the strengths of Gacha Gacha as one of the marketing strategies.

It was found that Gacha Gacha is of interest to a wide range of age groups, especially women, and that most visitors to a company's website are “highly enthusiastic about Gacha Gacha” and actively trying to obtain information regarding them. It may also be said that the implementation of Gacha Gacha by companies can be one of the most effective strategies in addressing the issue around gaining customers and increasing awareness.

We will continue to keep an eye on the Gacha Gacha industry, which will continue to attract even more attention in the future!

▼Data from Dockpit was used in this case study. Dockpit is an online behavior analytics tool provided by VALUES, Inc., and it allows you to access online behavioral data (updated monthly) via your browser so you can research competitor websites and investigate trends. There is a FREE version of Dockpit, so if you are interested in using it, please register below.