I feel like the number of reviewers on Tabelog has decreased.
It's not like I have access to data or check it every day, so it's based solely on my own subjective feelings as a shop owner.
The purpose of use has changed from word of mouth to databases
Over the past year or two, the number of reviews of the restaurant hasn't increased much.
I wonder if people have grown tired of the store, but the store page gets 4 to 5000 page views per week, so the number of people checking the store's information is increasing.
However, even though the number of people checking it out is increasing, the percentage of reviews that lead to word of mouth is low.
Even when you look at the page of a newly opened restaurant, there are only a handful of reviews, and they are mostly from long-time reviewers who say, "This person came to our restaurant when it first opened."
Many stores only have store information and photos posted, but no reviews.
Smartphones have become more common since we first opened our shop, so we can now check store information immediately. The fact that it can now be viewed in Chinese may be a big factor.
The number of active users is increasing, but it is not leading to new reviewers.
I don't hear many complaints about Tabelog from restaurants around me anymore.
Maybe what people want from Tabelog has changed...
I only check photos of the store and its opening hours, but I rarely read reviews.
The site has the most restaurant listings of any gourmet site, so I think that going forward they will likely focus on things like reservations and coupons for customers looking for good deals, while taking advantage of the wealth of data and locking in members.
That's the impression I get somehow.
Talking about going to the store became something we talked about among friends.
Speaking personally, over the past year or two, every restaurant I've ever visited because I thought, "I want to go there," was one I found out about through acquaintances on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.
I buy magazines as a store, but I've never visited a store after seeing the information in them.
I mostly refer to posts from cafes, coffee enthusiasts, and alcohol lovers I'm connected to on social media. Of course, I'm sure that people who are keen on information also get their information from magazines, but I no longer choose a shop based on information in a magazine.
Tabelog is also positioned as a social media site, but it is more anonymous.
It's better to communicate within existing relationships than to post something new on Tabelog, which is full of negative topics.
Restaurants recommended by acquaintances are more trustworthy, and writing about your visit can help foster empathy and deepen relationships. This is easier and more fun to post.
I think the place to post about shops is shifting to social media where friends can interact with each other.
When we first started the shop, only a few people were spreading the word, but now it's becoming commonplace for ordinary people to spread the word.
Recently, more and more people are searching for stores on Instagram instead of Google.
The relationship between restaurants and the Internet has been changing rapidly in recent years.
The media I use hasn't changed since I opened the shop four years ago (I've stopped using mixi and started using LINE), but I think the environment I'm in has clearly changed.
The store's approach will also place more emphasis on relationships.
Of course, there are still many customers who come to the restaurant after seeing it in a magazine, and many who come after seeing information about it on Tabelog.
However, the priority and reliability of that information will continue to decline. Existing advertisements will become less effective, and I think there will be more opportunities to visit stores recommended by people we know.
We're particularly lazy, so we don't often go to stores that we don't have a connection with, because we don't see any reason to go to other stores.
The marketing professors that our shop looks to often use the words "relationships" and "the economy of connections," and that's really what it feels like.
Things will continue to change more than ever before, and I think there's no doubt about that.
It's something I've always been conscious of, but social media is becoming more and more essential. I think it's going to be more important to create a store that is more conscious of connections.
See you soon.
