On Monday, July 2nd, Primo Japan launched the “I-PRIMO: HAPPY BRIDAL PROJECT” through the crowdfunding site “A-port” to support customers in realizing various “dreams” about proposals and marriage.

Recently, the declining number of couples marrying, accompanied by the declining birthrate, along with the changing values of younger people who are increasingly opting for “nashikon” (couples who choose not to have a wedding), are indicative of the severe market conditions surrounding the bridal industry. However, the results of a 2017 Zexy Magazine survey of marriage trends, which shows the extent to which the wedding industry has come to emphasize “koto” or “experiences” in preference to simply selling merchandise, revealed that “surprise proposals” made as a result of careful planning have become more common, and weddings that “express connections with parents and guests” have become increasingly popular, as have weddings conducted in a “formal ceremony style.” Considering these factors, it is our belief that “proposals” and “weddings”, which color the start of a new life together, will not fade, and can instead be reimagined as ways to “make dreams come true.”

 

The bridal jewelry that our company offers, particularly our engagement rings, are a symbolic expression of the start of a couple’s new life together, since they are purchased at the same time as the couple strengthens their commitment to marriage. As a bridal jewelry specialty store, our company brand I-PRIMO boasts the largest number of stores in Japan. As the “starter” in a so-called “happiness baton relay”, we believe we can pass the baton to wedding venues and flower shops, and other types of businesses “to help make the dreams of more marrying couples a reality” through cross-industry collaborations. In order to support marrying couples through this highly personal life event, we have also set up an open platform, inviting wider support not only from those in the bridal industry but also from the general public, “people who want to make a dream come true”, through the framework of crowdfunding. The aim of the project is to connect the thoughts of ordinary people who want “to support a couple’s dreams”, with couples themselves and the suppliers that can make those dreams possible.

 

Through the cooperation with our first partners, Take and Give Needs Co., Ltd. (referred to below as T&G), a major wedding venue management company, we are able to support the “dream” of a 22-year-old woman living in Hyogo Prefecture, who wants “to have a wedding that expresses my gratitude to my grandmother and great-grandmother, who raised me for the past 22 years.” In addition to using the crowdfunding site A-port, we also posted information about this project on our company website and social media feeds, and widely encouraged participation in this project by informing I-PRIMO customers who have purchased bridal jewelry before, about ways they can support this “dream” through jewelry purchases, etc.

 

In continuation of the above Project 1, we plan to expand our collaboration with other companies in Project 2, the “I-PRIMO: HAPPY BRIDAL PROJECT”. This Project 2 will be established as a crowdfunding project with the aim of creating a “Surprise Proposal + Gender-free & Barrier-free Wedding”. We will continue to develop and modify our activities so that we can continue offering support to make dreams a reality. We also hope that, through these activities, we can broaden the appeal of bridal products and services, and thereby expand the base of the market.