With mail-order sales without face-to-face contact, the desire deepened to understand customers better.

The mail-order department continues to take on new challenges
while staying close to the times—and to its customers

There is a lineup of Kirishima products that can only be purchased at Kirishima Shuzo's directly managed stores, such as "Kin Kirishima" and "Kuro Kirishima MELT." The mail-order department plays a major role as a sales channel for these products.
We spoke to Hatsune Watanabe from the mail-order department about her daily work and challenges.

The mail-order department was launched in 2006. At the time, Kuro Kirishima was a hit and they were forced to adjust shipments, but they had already decided to sell Kin Kirishima and Kuro Kirishima MELT, which use the same raw liquor as Kuro Kirishima.
However, since these products cannot be mass-produced at once, it was difficult to distribute them through the same distribution channels that sell regular honkaku shochu.
So one idea that came to mind was a mail-order business. Mail-order sales are now commonplace, but at the time, shopping over the internet had not yet taken hold, so it was a pioneering move in the industry.

With few precedents, it was a start like groping in the dark. However, after overcoming numerous obstacles, they managed to launch a mail-order business.
"I heard that the members involved in the launch at the time had the stance that, 'We cannot let this challenging product not sell because of the sales channel. We should do everything we can.'" Watanabe says.

Watanabe was transferred to the mail-order department in 2011. This was around the time when the mail-order business system was starting to take shape. However, at the time, half of the orders were made online and half were made over the phone. Watanabe focused particularly on strengthening the online business.

As the company expanded its mail-order business, it not only sold directly to customers through its own website, but also tried opening Kirishima Shuzo shops on major e-commerce platforms. However, the company has now discontinued these mall shops. The focus is now on enhancing their own website.
"I realized that our own website allows us to see each and every customer. We can send direct mail to those who need it, and we can also take an approach that is in line with the seasons, which I think is more Kirishima Shuzo-like. This is also something we were able to realize only by taking on the challenge of opening a shop in a mall. I think it was a very meaningful experience," said Watanabe.
In 2021, the company also undertook a renewal of its website. To meet the needs of customers who want to deepen their understanding of the product in accordance with their purchasing purposes, the website features a "Shochu Beginner's Guide" and interviews with product developers. In addition to the website, the company also operates social media platforms such as Instagram, aiming to disseminate information that reaches each individual customer.

Even now, as they strive to achieve this, they still often find it difficult to communicate directly with customers, and they shared an example from when they were renovating <Gyoku>Kin Kirishima.
"The addition of agave syrup during the renewal gave it a subtle sweetness. However, depending on how we explained "sweeter," some customers imagined it as a sweet liquor meant to be mixed like syrup. We use the flavor descriptions provided by our in-house blender in advance when interacting with customers, but everyone perceives flavors differently. Because we have a wide variety of customers, this was an opportunity for the entire department to consider ways to describe the product that would be more easily understood and suited to each customer."
Watanabe says that even though she finds communication difficult, the people who make inquiries are often the ones who are passionate about Kirishima Shuzo, which makes her feel happy.

Original merchandise is also popular among Kirishima Shuzo fans.
Limited-edition items are available; for example, during the Valentine's season, drawstring pouches featuring Aka Kirishima and Kuro Kirishima were created and sold as sets.
Such merchandise is born from customer feedback. If well-received, it may transition to regular sales. The team constantly evaluates ways to meet fan expectations.

Watanabe's ambition to understand customers better shows no signs of waning. With the company promoting digital transformation (DX) across the organization since last year, the department has begun making full use of web-based surveys and is working to build systems that leverage digital technologies to create a clearer picture of its customers.
At the same time, during busy shipping periods like Father's Day gift seasons, Kirishima Shuzo employees themselves visit shipping companies to assist with packaging, never neglecting the steady, hands-on work.
"Within the company we’re still a relatively small department, but that also means we’re in an environment where we’re encouraged to take on many different challenges. How can we help people love Kirishima Shuzo even more? Until someone tells us to stop, I want to stay true to that goal and keep trying new things—things that only a mail-order business can do,” Watanabe says with a smile.
Mail-order sales may seem, at first glance, like a field where human connections are hard to imagine. Yet perhaps for that very reason, a warm and sincere determination to understand customers as people will continue to be essential.