Long CPE in Japan: Is It Really That Promising?

Introduction

The success of Royal Match through Customer Playable Ads (CPE) in Japan has sparked intrigue and raised questions about the efficacy of this marketing strategy. While Royal Match’s triumph showcases the potential of CPE, many wonder if it’s an exclusive boon for this particular game or if it’s a viable strategy solely for casual gaming. Moreover, the big question remains: Why does this approach seem to flourish particularly in Japan? Let’s delve deeper into the phenomenon to unravel the intricacies behind its success.

Point Earning Activities (ポイ活) in Japan

Understanding Point Usage Trends

In Japan, point earning services are more than just a passing trend. According to recent data, while a significant portion actively engages with these services (28.6%), a whopping 50.9% utilize them for their preferred stores and services. This highlights a widespread acceptance and utilization of point earning activities, with only a minor fraction (10.9%) abstaining entirely.

Popular Methods of Earning Points

The majority of Japanese individuals (81.9%) accrue points through common platforms like T-point or Rakuten point. Notably, the versatility in earning opportunities, including store-specific services and QR code payments, contributes to increased usage rates. Additionally, general-purpose credit cards (63.7%), frequently visited supermarkets (60.5%), drugstores (57.3%), and internet shopping (55.9%) are popular avenues for point accumulation.

Point Earning: The Demographics

Analyzing by gender and age, it’s notable that middle-aged and older individuals, particularly women, exhibit higher preference for “common points,” while younger demographics, especially men under 30, show lower affinity. Moreover, there’s a discernible inclination towards older age groups for credit card usage and shopping for daily essentials, with women outnumbering men in categories like supermarkets and drugstores. Conversely, men dominate sectors such as home electronics retail and transportation-related services. Among the youth, preferences skew towards restaurants, CD/bookstores, and shopping complexes, surpassing the general populace.

Given the affinity towards point earning among certain demographics, it’s evident that casual and puzzle games align well with these preferences. This suggests that Long CPE campaigns may find their ideal niche within these genres, catering to the motivations of Japanese users, particularly housewives.

Understanding the Connection: “Housewives” and Point-Earning

Female users aged 30 and above, often assumed to be housewives in Japan, exhibit a strong inclination towards casual and puzzle games. This demographic segment holds a keen interest in point earning activities, presenting a compelling motivation for them to engage with games that offer such incentives.

For Japanese housewives, the opportunity to earn points while indulging in casual or puzzle games can serve as a significant motivator. Notably, a prevalent keyword associated with casual/puzzle games in Japan is 片手 “katate” (one hand), underscoring the importance of gameplay accessibility, particularly for multitasking individuals such as homemakers.

Beyond Casual/Puzzle Games: Long CPE’s Versatility

Yet, Long CPE isn’t just for the casual/puzzle games. While casual and puzzle games may be the frontrunners for Long CPE campaigns, other genres also stand to benefit.

Our point-earning media, Point Income*, we had experience with RPG and Strategic Simulation games demonstrates promising results, with significantly higher Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) and better retention rates compared to traditional advertising methods.
*website may not be accessed from an IP address outside of Japan

Long CPE campaigns exhibit substantial advantages over traditional advertising avenues, particularly in terms of ROAS and cost efficiency. For, RPG, we witnessed a 1.8 times increase in ROAS and 11% better retention, and better cost efficiency (23 times cost-saving) compared to Google App Campaigns (GAC).

Similarly, for Strategic Simulation games, we achieved 2.8 times more ROAS and 4.7 times better cost efficiency.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Long CPE presents a promising avenue for mobile game growth in Japan, offering a potential workaround amidst the evolving privacy controls of iOS and Android platforms. As users consent to share their information for point earnings, this strategy not only fosters engagement but also navigates the challenges posed by stricter privacy regulations.

Point Income: pointi.jp

(Note that the website may not be accessed from an IP address outside of Japan)

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