Well The Intercultural Twilight Zone sure took the winds out of my sail with his recent blog today “Why Japanese Love BIC“
You can find Big Island Candies at 585 Hinano Street in Hilo, Hawaii.
Since he did such a great job with the post… I’m just gonna throw pictures in with his words. I myself went down their today to pick up some cookies for some friends and family on the mainland. The place is a great place for several reasons.
(Intercultural Twilight Zone = RED)
BIC has crafted a product and shopping experience that Japanese customers absolutely love.
Some of BIC’s “secrets” to success include:
They hand you coffee and a cookie when you walk in the door. How can you not feel good?
The layout and decor are aesthetically beautiful…
…the gift wrapping exquisite; they’ve even partnered with Sig Zane to design some of their packaging (Japanese culture places high value on beauty, a legacy of their Shinto and Buddhist traditions)
The store is well lit and sparkles; the shiny kitchen is openly displayed beyond the big glass windows (Japanese love cleanliness, a legacy from their Shinto tradition)
On busy days every aisle has a Japanese/bilingual person available to answer questions
Employees provide great service: when the check-out lines start getting busy BIC employees quickly open another register so customers can be checked out quickly and efficiently
BIC candy and cookies use just the right amount of sugar (not as sweet as most American candy/cookies)–the Japanese think BIC’s products have the right level of sweetness
BIC is set up to ship product anywhere in the world, a big help for Japanese who have too much omiyage to drag home anyway.
Well I’d like to personally thank The Intercultural Twilight Zone for providing such excellent analysis on the place.
If you want to see his full blog on Big Island Candies, you can find it here.
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