Determination to spark a new wave in the industry

As we enter the final month of 2023, looking back on the past year as UNIVA Gyro-n, we can honestly say that although we have seen steady growth in sales and the number of companies that have installed our products, we have yet to reach our goal of a Rule of 40% (sales growth rate + operating margin of at least 40%). In addition, the company has not yet achieved its goal of 40% or more in sales growth and operating profit margin. However, we view this as a birth pangs, and are determined to proactively challenge new services and initiatives to create a new style in the group and the industry.

Gyro-n is full of room for growth in both people and products. Gyro-n MEO has been installed in more than 13,000 stores in total, but there are still more than 2 million stores in Japan. Although Gyro-n EFO has been in release for 10 years, it remains in high demand by major clients. There are more than 250 partners nationwide who sell the Gyro-n series, including other products such as Gyro-n DFM. Members in their 20s make up one-third of the total workforce, and their fresh ideas and opinions bring new energy to the company. We will make the most of these growth potentials and steadily achieve results in the second half of the fiscal year and into the next fiscal year.

In the second half of the year, the following new services and initiatives will be developed.

• Added "Kikikomi" to Gyro-n MEO related services. This is a patent pending product that automatically generates and suggests reviews from surveys.
• Released a word-of-mouth acquisition support service for stores.
• Released local information media "Iitoko" in cooperation with FM Karuizawa.
• Industry-academia collaboration with International National College of Technology in Kanazawa, especially in research related to generative AI.
• Released SEO consulting service.
• Gyro-n EFO will release "Gyro-n EFO Next," a step-by-step form implementation function for Gyro-n EFO.

With the revision of the Act against Unjustifiable Premiums and Misleading Representations, the "Stemma Regulation" came into effect on October 1 of this year. This will strictly regulate stealth marketing, in which word-of-mouth and social networking sites that favor the business for a fee are disseminated. This law regulates the manipulation of information by word of mouth and other user-submitted information, which has long been a problem because it has a significant impact on attracting customers to stores and on the willingness to purchase products. Against this backdrop, the patent-pending "Kikikomi" is attracting attention as a clean and effective method of acquiring word-of-mouth, in which questionnaires are requested of visitors and purchasers, word-of-mouth is generated from their responses using a generative AI, and the reviews generated by the consumer's own will are posted.

Through these efforts, Gyro-n will further strengthen its position as a digital marketing tool vendor. We will continue to optimize and bring awareness to all companies' digital marketing initiatives and enjoy growth and evolution.

UNIVA Gyro-n Limited
Hisaatsu Shimazu, President and Representative Director