”Faster, lighter, safer” is a use value. It is said that working with an attitude of “faster” emphasizes use value. When working, it seems that working faster, lighter, and safer is done unconsciously. On the other hand, value that is judged as satisfaction by the user is called precious value or attractive value. More beautiful and cuter are values judged by the satisfaction that the user gets from obtaining the thing. Both use value and precious value are considered to be necessary. This time, we considered the direction of business from both the perspectives of use value and precious value.
Electric vacuum cleaners have become a necessity in today’s households. Vacuum cleaners with powerful suction power have been purchased as home appliances. However, one consumer chooses a Nanbu broom from Takakura Kogei in Kunohe Village, Iwate Prefecture. He buys a Nanbu broom with a long handle that costs 30,000 to 100,000 yen. Nanbu brooms are made from organic, natural materials and are said to be able to remove dust from carpets better than a vacuum cleaner. Luxury brooms (Nanbu brooms) are more popular in Tokyo and other large cities than Dyson vacuum cleaners, which have strong suction power. The time spent cleaning with a high-quality broom with a sophisticated design is valuable in itself. People seem to seek not only convenience and speed, but also ways to spend time that are dense. The era of material consumption based on the desire to possess has passed, and we are now entering the era of experience-based consumption based on the desire to experience. The next thing that will come is precious value of spending fulfilling time that can only be experienced at that time or in that place.
The idea of placing precious value on slowness rather than speed is beginning to take hold in the world of beer. Yo-Ho Brewing, a major craft beer company, is located in Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture. In July, Yo-Ho Brewing announced a beer glass that prevents people from drinking too much alcohol. This beer glass is designed to be difficult to drink from. This difficult-to-drink glass is characterized by a narrow waist in the middle, like an hourglass. They created a beer glass with an inner diameter of 6 millitorr that allows people to “slowly enjoy the aroma and flavor.” The beer glass prevents people from drinking too much alcohol and has a narrow hole in the middle, so you can’t gulp it down. This difficult-to-drink beer glass was sold by lottery, with only 10 of them in total. Despite the high price of 9,800 yen, “the response was greater than expected, with about 2,700 applications received.” The creator of this glass also seems to hope that if more people enjoy drinking at their own pace, the base of beer fans will expand, and business opportunities will increase.
Note: 10,000 yen is 70 dollars.
