To everyone who attended the Hands Castle Festival, and to everyone involved, thank you so much.
This endeavor was a big challenge for me.
The typography T-shirts for Nagoya Castle and Inuyama Castle, and the collaboration with Chris Glenn. Furthermore, I was given the opportunity to deliver them directly to many people through live painting.
Standing at the venue, something became very clear to me.
That is, "there is always a 'reason' why products sell."
At this event, the collaborative products with Chris Glenn were almost completely sold out.
On the other hand, the single-point castle T-shirts and the Kato Kiyomasa T-shirts did not sell as well as expected.
This difference isn't simply about good or bad design.
The collaborative products with Chris were items where the "reason to buy" was immediately clear.
It seemed that people who came after listening to the radio or stopped by on their way back from the Nippon Castle Festival had clear purchasing motives and made their decisions on the spot.
In fact, a later check revealed that about 70% of Nagoya Castle tour participants had made purchases at the Hands Castle Festival.
The "experience" and "purchase" were well-connected.
On the other hand, the single-point products, perhaps due to Aichi's local characteristics, were somewhat lacking for those with high historical literacy and tended not to be picked up.
Also, the Kato Kiyomasa T-shirt, with its price range of 7,920 yen, received a certain number of responses like, "It's good, but I'll pass this time."
In other words, what became clear this time was the simple fact that
"a good product alone doesn't sell; a 'reason to buy' is necessary."
Another impressive aspect was the response to the live painting.
When I was creating in the store, many people stopped and commented, "It's so detailed."
Conversations were definitely sparked.
However, that didn't directly lead to purchases.
From this, too,
I realized that "interest" and "purchase" require different strategies.
And this time, an even greater value than sales was generated.
Towards the end of the event, a Nagoya Castle tour was planned, and more than 20 people wearing our T-shirts gathered.
Additionally, official sales at Inuyama Castle were decided, leading to an expansion of sales channels.
The sales performance in Nagoya and the trust gained from the collaboration with Chris created the next opportunity.
While this isn't reflected in the numbers, I feel it was a very significant step forward.
My self-assessment this time is 70 points.
We had anticipated inbound demand, but there was almost no response, and misjudging the inventory was a clear issue.
However, on the other hand,
I gained the fundamental learning that "how a product sells changes completely depending on where it's sold."
Sales strategies for tourist destinations and pop-up shops are completely different.
In the future, we will optimize product design and customer flow according to those conditions.
What became clear through this Hands Castle Festival was not just sales, but the "potential" for future growth.
Based on this experience, I intend to proceed with more precise proposals and product development.
Once again, I express my gratitude to everyone who attended and to all those involved.