CLIENT’S CHALLENGE

• A North American micro distillery was developing new artisanal distilled spirits. They considered Japan a high potential export market but had never exported to Japan.
• In order to determine the feasibility of designing a craft spirit for the Japan market the Client needed key information about Japan: export costs including tariffs and taxes, the distribution structure and costs within the Japan spirits market, spirits market trends and best practices for artisanal spirits suppliers aiming to do business in Japan.

OUR SOLUTION

• Assessed all key craft spirit product categories in terms of available and top brands, pricing, market positioning, branding strategy and distribution patterns.
• Analyzed the key factors which contribute to retail prices of craft spirits and provided a cost analysis of expected import and marketing expenses.
• Profiled importers and distribution companies who can be considered as potential business partners.
• Created a guideline of practical steps for inexperienced foreign companies to interact successfully with potential Japanese partners.

IMPACT

• Meros provided am overview of opportunities for entering in each key category, as well as recommended strategic steps in terms of product development, business planning, market entry and brand building
• The client used our analysis to make its decision about further investment into product development for Japan.