Popular product purchasing: Tokyo's ranKing ranQueen

The Lounge have recently been out and about trend spotting in Japan and couldn’t help but let everyone back home know about ranKing ranQueen, a Japanese gift store with a difference.

The concept is unique. Each of the 8 small stores stock and rank the top 3, 5 or 10 most popular products of the moment for easy comparison. They do this through a combination of assessing sales data from department stores and conducting their own independent research with consumers on Tokyo’s busy streets. This data is then used to assign a ranking to everything across a range of categories from the latest confectionary, beauty products and mobile phones to the more weird and wonderful sections that include items such as eggplant toothpaste, jelly toothpicks and wax masks.

If an item falls in popularity, it will be pulled and another will take its place. The system ensures that ranKing ranQueen only stock the most up-to-date and in demand products at any given time. The simple merchandising system also allows image conscious Japanese customers to literally see a list of what other people are buying. This ensures that the shop’s loyal followers can keep one step ahead and ditch what’s out of favour for the next big thing, and in Tokyo the importance of showing you’re ‘on it’ can’t be underestimated - even when it comes to your choice of nose hair trimmer!

The ranked lists are updated every week to include new categories that are informed by customers interacting with the store on its blog. RanKing ranQueen is also receptive to trialling new products for a short period of time to see how they do. This has helped launch a good number of Japanese crazes and is great for brands eager to get their products into the hands of trendy Tokyoites.

RanKing ranQueen is a really interesting retail concept that plays into consumers love for lists and brings peer reviewing to life. In Japan its success is achieved through allowing consumers organised insight into what others are buying, ensuring that they can keep up with the crowd. While this is less important in Europe the concept still holds appeal due to its curated approach. Selection is easy due to the listed format, which makes life both easier and more convenient for those with limited time. We are looking forward to seeing if the concept takes off in the UK following rumours of a similar store concept opening in London’s Shoreditch soon.