K.K.: After we integrated the Mikissimes Design System, we received praise from our customers for finally tailoring their glasses to them. On the other hand, feedback from our sales reps indicated that they spent quite a lot of time facing their computer monitor and operating the system, which meant that from a customer communication viewpoint, there was room for improvement. The first time I saw an iPad, I felt that with its gorgeous aesthetic and intuitive operability, we could find new way of using CG without hampering customer communication. I got the go-ahead from our top brass and made the decision to integrate them en masse.

K.F.: Did you do comparisons with any other devices?

K.K.: We'd been pursuing CG development with iMacs from the early 2000's and really understood the appeal of Apple products in terms of operability and design. Also, when the iPad was first announced, there weren't any other high-performance tablets to compare it with, so we didn't hesitate at all. To put it more accurately, we wanted to integrate them because they were iPads!

Communication for Uncovering a Customer's “Ideal”

K.F.: How does PARIS MIKI actually utilize iPads?

Keiichi Takami: We currently have one iPad (Wi-Fi model) at each location for a total of 1,000 devices. We've also developed several original apps geared towards the iPad and are utilizing them in-store to initiate communication with visiting customers.

K.F.: What expectations do you have of both PCs and the iPad?

K.K.: The strength of the iPad has to be its high mobility / agility to display necessary information “here and now”. With the Mikissimes Design System (which traditionally used desktop computers), we would upload a picture taken with a digital camera, perform a facial feature analysis, then reflect the customer's preferences before recommending designs. While we were able to suggest designs that perfectly matched each customers' preferences, the fact is that the process took some time. In order to achieve more casual communication, we developed an app that can tailor the size of several hundred patterns of 3D eyeglass frames to fit a customer's picture taken with the iPad's front camera and show them then and there an image of themselves wearing the glasses. By using 3D CG, we can touch on and uncover an “ideal” image that customers have in mind even if those frames aren't in stock at a certain location, which we believe is a key communication point in getting one step closer to that ideal. We expect to combine the iPad's mobility / agility and 3D CG imaging power in a way that will let us make more thorough recommendations more casually.

Managing iPads Distributed Throughout Japan

K.F.: How did you plan on managing all of your iPads?

K.T.: Since we were planning on letting customers use the iPad freely in our stores, we had to factor in the risks of tampering and theft. From the time that we began considering adopting the iPad, we were aware of the need to uniformly manage a large number of devices, and had been looking into so-called “MDM” services well before they were released.

K.F.: Would you mind telling me why you chose CLOMO MDM?

K.T.: The development power and sense of speed that gave CLOMO MDM a six-month lead on other companies and made it the first such service to be commercially released in Japan were a couple of the determining factors. Through our actual talks with i³ Systems, we also found that we could rely on your immediate action, as our requests were promptly integrated into the product. We felt that CLOMO MDM was a service that would be capable of supporting a large-scale integration and decided to use it.

K.F.: And how do you use CLOMO MDM and CLOMO MOBILE APP PORTAL now?

K.T.: With CLOMO MDM, we're able to manage the iPads in place at every location with a “Branch Code” and “Device Number”, and also remotely distribute policy settings that restrict App Store usage and Wi-Fi access points, etc. so that customers don't accidentally buy apps with those devices. As for the numerous in-house apps that we've developed, we oversee their distribution using CLOMO MOBILE APP PORTAL.

Aiming for Device Utilization That Goes Further

K.F.: What are your plans and expectations for utilizing iPads in the future?

K.K., K.T.: Up until now, we envisioned iPad utilization focused on communication as mainly a “front office” aspect, but in the future, we hope to apply it to areas of basic work as well. For example, when we register a customer's information, we have to enter all of their consultation data onto a form first, and later reenter the same data into a computer, making it a redundant process. If we can use iPads, however, we expect to be able to eliminate an unnecessary step and increase work efficiency, since we will be able to enter data alongside our customers as part of the flow of unbroken, natural communication. We would also like to search for methods of utilization that are not just for the purpose of completing order placement / reception but rather allow us to naturally conclude a sale in a string of communication that reveals a customer's “ideal”. As the market leader and inventors of the CLOMO operating platform, we hope that i³ Systems will continue its efforts to develop the iPad and its applications (which hint at the possibility of a new working style) within companies more securely and on an even larger scale.

K.F.: Thank you for your time.

Interviewer: Keisuke Fukano (Marketing Head Office, i³ Systems)