Supporting Cogo to bring carbon tracking
to Japan’s banking apps
Supporting Cogo to bring carbon tracking to Japan’s banking apps
Problem
Cogo is a carbon footprint management product that helps individuals and businesses to measure, understand, and reduce their impact on the climate.
Cogo is a carbon footprint management product that helps individuals and businesses to measure, understand, and reduce their impact on the climate.
For their Japan market entry, Cogo were looking to understand the how the financial services landscape is distinct from places like New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, and the United Kingdom where they’d already delivered their solutions successfully.
Japan has a series of challenges for fintechs to navigate – from slow moving financial institutions to fragmented payment methods, trust and privacy expectations, shifts in sustainability consciousness, and a rapidly ageing population.
Cogo were looking for a partner to increase their understanding of both how to influence Japanese banks, and the extent to which customers are ready for carbon tracking in their financial apps.
For their Japan market entry, Cogo were looking to understand the how the financial services landscape is distinct from places like New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, and the United Kingdom where they’d already delivered their solutions successfully.
Japan has a series of challenges for fintechs to navigate – from slow moving financial institutions to fragmented payment methods, trust and privacy expectations, shifts in sustainability consciousness, and a rapidly ageing population.
Cogo were looking for a partner to increase their understanding of both how to influence Japanese banks, and the extent to which customers are ready for carbon tracking in their financial apps.
Carbon Tracking
Cogo integrates with banking apps and calculates your carbon footprint based on your transactions, providing nudges towards more sustainable behaviours.
Approach
We collaborated with the Cogo team to conduct a research study into the intersection between financial and sustainability behaviours in Japan.
We collaborated with the Cogo team to conduct a research study into the intersection between financial and sustainability behaviours in Japan.
This was mainly a quantitative study conducted with a representative group of 1966 participants in Japan who use bank and financial apps, supported by additional research and synthesis to expand on our findings.
Our activities and synthesis during the study were focused on:
Increasing Cogo’s understanding of customer behaviours and attitudes around finances and sustainability, particularly in relation to carbon tracking
Mapping a high level view of the financial services landscape and where to focus efforts
Identifying insights to use in conversations with banks and financial institutions
Helping build the business case for Japanese banks to partner with Cogo
Supporting Cogo at fintech and sustainability community events
This was mainly a quantitative study conducted with a representative group of 1966 participants in Japan who use bank and financial apps, supported by additional research and synthesis to expand on our findings.
Our activities and synthesis during the study were focused on:
Increasing Cogo’s understanding of customer behaviours and attitudes around finances and sustainability, particularly in relation to carbon tracking
Mapping a high level view of the financial services landscape and where to focus efforts
Identifying insights to use in conversations with banks and financial institutions
Helping build the business case for Japanese banks to partner with Cogo
Supporting Cogo at fintech and sustainability community events
40%
Bank and financial app users in Japan would like their apps to help them measure their carbon footprint (after viewing Cogo UX).
41%
People expect their banks and card providers to do more to reduce their climate and environmental impact.
20%
People have already made changes to their lifestyles to reduce their climate and environmental impact.
21%
Interested in points and offers for making sustainable choices.
Outcomes
The study found there is an unmet need for sustainable products in the financial services industry, with a rise in conscious behaviours, and a high desirability for tools like carbon footprinting.
The study found there is an unmet need for sustainable products in the financial services industry, with a rise in conscious behaviours, and a high desirability for tools like carbon footprinting.
Cogo were able to use the insights from the study to adapt their strategy for Japan, with insights around the complexity of the payment landscape informing a change in the banks and fintechs they were targeting.
When engaging with a prototype of the Cogo user experience a large cohort of people shifted from neutral to positive in their responses, with nearly 40% of participants wanting the feature in their financial apps. Significantly for Cogo business case, 41% expect their banks to do more to reduce their climate and environmental impact.
Cogo were able to use the insights from the study to adapt their strategy for Japan, with insights around the complexity of the payment landscape informing a change in the banks and fintechs they were targeting.
When engaging with a prototype of the Cogo user experience a large cohort of people shifted from neutral to positive in their responses, with nearly 40% of participants wanting the feature in their financial apps. Significantly for Cogo business case, 41% expect their banks to do more to reduce their climate and environmental impact.
Get in touch
Contributors
Fabric
Nico Leonard
Strategic Design Director
Ai Yamanaka
Senior Strategic Designer
Kentaro Sekine
Senior Program Manager
Jeffery Phonn
Data Strategist
Jiro Tatsuno
Business Director
Cogo
Kaz Udagawa
Japan Country Head
Josh Dry
Director Enterprise Solutions & Partnerships, North America & Asia-Pacific
Verena Wimmer
Head of Behavioural Science & Insights
Tu Vy Do
Behavioural Science Researcher
Jody Boshoff
PR Manager APAC
Julie Lindenberg
CEO APAC
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2-45-12 Kami-meguro
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Japan
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Nakame Gallery Street J4
2-45-12 Kami-meguro
Meguro-ku
Tokyo 153-0051
Japan
Nakame Gallery Street J4
2-45-12 Kami-meguro
Meguro-ku
Tokyo 153-0051
Japan