BICP and Decom Launch '7BOX with DecomAI', a New Service Using AI to Explore Market Opportunities from n=1 Qualitative Data

Best In Class Producers Inc. (Headquarters: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Kyoichi Suga; hereinafter referred to as BICP) has announced the launch of a new strategy design service, "7BOX with DecomAI," in joint development with Decom Inc. (Location: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Representative: Takahiro Omatsu; hereinafter referred to as Decom), which provides idea development support through insight research. The service rapidly explores market opportunities by mass-producing unique value from n=1 qualitative big data.

## Background and Overview of Service Development

As consumer behaviors and values diversify due to macro-environmental changes, strategies derived from traditional success formulas or competitive comparisons within product categories are making it increasingly difficult to remain the consumer's choice. While many marketers understand the importance of insights, discovering them relies heavily on analysts' skills, creating challenges in reproducibility and speed within a highly uncertain business environment.

BICP defines insights as the hidden dissatisfaction and desires that drive consumers. They have provided their unique "7BOX" framework, which deduces value to satisfy these insights from multiple perspectives, and it has been utilized by many companies to date.

This new service combines BICP's unique framework with Decom's qualitative big data and the massive amount of consumer episodes (n=1 qualitative big data) provided by the AI analysis platform "DecomAI®." This makes it possible to grasp consumer values "quickly," "broadly," and "deeply." As a result, exploring insights—which previously required a certain level of skill and proficiency—can now be executed efficiently by anyone.

It not only realizes customer understanding at an overwhelmingly low cost, avoiding the extensive time and resources previously required, but it also enables the rapid discovery of value hypotheses leading to new market opportunities and the formulation of solid market strategies.

## What is "7BOX"?

"7BOX" is a proprietary value design framework developed by BICP.

In traditional marketing, discussions easily become confined to understanding needs and comparing competitors within a product category, tending to result in price and feature competition. In contrast, 7BOX reexamines the market starting from how consumer values are beginning to change. By capturing the insights that move people, it supports the formulation of value hypotheses that are not yet fully satisfied in the existing market. Furthermore, by rapidly generating, verifying, and executing multiple value hypotheses, it enables the design of a unique market positioning.

## Unique Value Realized by "7BOX with DecomAI"

This service features the rapid conception of next market opportunities and their connection to actionable strategies by combining the broad, fast, and deep insight exploration of AI with human value design and decision-making support.

1. Insight Discovery Outside Existing Categories via "n=1 Qualitative Big Data"

Using "DecomAI®," it extracts the "gap" between signs of the future and the existing value of popularized product categories from thousands of specific episodes (n=1). It quickly, broadly, and deeply captures consumer insights often overlooked in existing market research.

2. Realization of Overwhelming Efficiency and Productivity

Powered by an AI trained on the insight analysis thought processes cultivated by Decom over 20 years, the speed of qualitative analysis—which inherently requires massive resources—is dramatically improved to approximately 1/100th of the original time. This supports swift decision-making to prevent lost opportunities in a rapidly changing market.

3. Mass Production of Hypothesis Value and Refinement of Strategic Options via "7BOX"

It connects discovered insights to targets, ideas, and business opportunities, quickly generating multiple value hypotheses that go beyond a single idea. Additionally, by designing a unique market position through the comparison and evaluation of ideas, it is possible to consider multiple strategic options that extend beyond the trajectory of existing strategies.

## Execution Process of "7BOX with DecomAI"

- Phase 1: Grasping the Current Situation and Exploring Intent

Through AI analysis and human dialogue, changes in the values to be captured are organized, and the direction of the value the company wishes to deduce is articulated.

- Phase 2: Insight Exploration

Explore specific consumer episodes from n=1 big data. While grasping consumers broadly and deeply, it discovers insights hidden between signs of the future and the existing values of product categories.

- Phase 3: Value Design / 7BOX

Construct and evaluate multiple strategic hypotheses using 7BOX to narrow down a unique winning path.

## What is "DecomAI®"?

Decom's proprietary insight analysis engine. Over the 20 years since its establishment, Decom has focused on "data science and natural language processing