CREAM

What CREAM does

CREAM is a Digital Transformation (DX) studio founded in 2010 and headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, with additional offices in Lausanne, Switzerland and Madrid, Spain. The firm operates as a professional services consultancy delivering strategy, design, development, and ongoing support to global brands seeking to enter, localize, or expand their digital and e-commerce presence in Japan. Its service portfolio spans brand auditing, market research, UX/UI design, full-stack web and application development, O2O commerce solutions, and post-launch support including CRO and SEM. A sub-brand called BrandAcademy provides a packaged remote training and engagement application, representing the firm's only disclosed software product.

CREAM's core technology capability centers on headless commerce architecture, combining Vercel for hosting, Prismic and Sanity as headless CMS options, and React on the front-end layer, with Shopify Plus as the primary e-commerce backend. The firm is positioned as one of the first certified Shopify Plus partners in Japan and supports supporting partnerships with Occtoo (PIM/OMS/CRM APIs) and Shogun Frontend to streamline headless implementations. Reported client outcomes include a 30+ point Google Lighthouse performance improvement and a nearly 10-point SEO improvement following headless migrations.

The company's go-to-market is enterprise field sales, with services sold through direct, consultative engagement. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. The customer base is concentrated in luxury, fashion, watchmaking, and beauty verticals (Cartier, Breitling, TAG Heuer, Bvlgari, Longines, Petit Bateau, Kusmi Tea, Master & Dynamic, among others), with additional exposure to HR-tech and recruiting clients. CREAM is privately held, bootstrapped, and founder-led by CEO Pierre Gaulis, with no disclosed external funding.

Name

CREAM

Legal name

CREAM

Website

https://cream-touch.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CREAM is a Tokyo-based digital transformation studio founded in 2010 that delivers strategy, design, development, and support services for global luxury and premium brands seeking to enter or expand in the Japanese market via headless e-commerce and localization.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Digital Transformation Consulting and Implementation Services: Professional services revenue model providing strategy, design, and development services for digital transformation projects including e-commerce implementation, localization, UX/UI design, and web application development.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

CREAM is a Digital Transformation (DX) studio providing end-to-end strategy, design, development, and ongoing support services to global brands, with deep specialization in e-commerce implementation (notably as one of the first certified Shopify Plus partners in Japan), headless commerce architecture, UX/UI design, and Japan/Europe market localization. The firm also operates BrandAcademy, a remote training and engagement application used for knowledge sharing across communities.

Product overview

CREAM is a Digital Transformation (DX) studio based in Tokyo that operates as a services company rather than a software product company. They offer a comprehensive suite of digital services including Strategy (development, brand audit, market research, content strategy, business process reengineering), Design (brand identity, prototyping, UX/UI, responsive design), Development (websites, web applications, e-commerce solutions, enterprise apps, O2O solutions), and Support (maintenance, testing, localization, CRO). Their primary product offering is BrandAcademy, a remote training and engagement application. As a Shopify Plus certified partner, they specialize in e-commerce implementations and headless architecture solutions. The company has expanded to include offices in Madrid and Lausanne, serving clients across Asia and Europe.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• BrandAcademy: Remote training and engagement application facilitating knowledge sharing and communication across entire communities. Mobile-first rich content platform with real-time discussions and feedback capabilities.

Products and services

• Digital Transformation Services Strategy and execution services including digital strategy development, brand auditing, market research, content strategy, and business process reengineering for global brands undergoing digital transformation.
• Design Services Comprehensive design offerings including brand identity design, prototyping, user experience (UX) design, user interface (UI) design, and responsive design for websites and applications.
• Development Services Full-stack development for websites and landing pages, web applications, e-commerce solutions, enterprise applications (HR Tech, Retail Tech), and O2O (Online-to-Offline) solutions.
• Support Services Ongoing support including server and code maintenance, continuous integration, user testing, security testing, stress testing, content creation and localization, conversion rate optimization (CRO), SEM, and landing pages.
• E-Commerce Solutions (Shopify Plus) Specialized e-commerce development and localization services delivered as a certified Shopify Plus partner in Japan, including headless architecture implementations, store setup, and multi-market localization for global brands.
• BrandAcademy A remote training and engagement application facilitating knowledge sharing and communication across entire communities. Mobile-first rich content platform with real-time discussions and feedback capabilities, used by organizations for internal training and engagement.

Quantifiable outcome

• 30+ point improvement in Google Lighthouse Performance score after headless migration
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers27 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Shopify PluscoreTechnology or IntegrationCREAM is one of the first certified Shopify Plus partners in Japan. As a Shopify Plus Partner, CREAM is uniquely positioned to localize, build and support e-commerce activity for Japanese consumers. The partnership provides access to Shopify's enterprise e-commerce platform capabilities for client implementations.
• Ramon+PedrosupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerSwitzerland-based creative partner that collaborated with CREAM on the TAG Heuer Ginza flagship store video motion design project for seasonal in-store campaigns.
• OcctoosupportingTechnology or IntegrationPartner for PIM, OMS, or CRM layers providing tailor-made realtime APIs for efficient communication between back-end and front-end in headless e-commerce implementations.
• Shogun FrontendsupportingTechnology or IntegrationRecommended partner for building headless e-Commerce stores, providing rich frontend experience, CMS, and front-end package that makes headless implementations more accessible and efficient.
• Spanish Chamber of Commerce in JapansupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCREAM recently joined the Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Japan to engage directly with the business community and better support Spanish companies looking to expand in Japan or Japanese companies looking to enter European markets.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Mitsue-Links: Tokyo-headquartered digital agency offering web production, CMS implementation and enterprise e-commerce services to Japanese and global brands, closely overlapping with CREAM's core service lines and target market.
• BIRDMAN: Tokyo-based creative and digital studio serving premium Japanese and international brands on branding, UX and digital experience projects — comparable boutique-scale peer focused on quality brand work.
• Basic Inc. Tokyo digital creative agency producing brand sites, e-commerce and content platforms for premium Japanese and global clients, directly comparable in service mix and target customer profile.
• OuterBox: Shopify Plus partner agency specializing in enterprise e-commerce design, development and SEO — overlaps with CREAM's Shopify Plus headless commerce practice for international brand clients.
• Blend Commerce: Shopify Plus agency delivering enterprise headless commerce builds for premium brands, directly comparable to CREAM in tech stack (Shopify Plus + headless) and customer segment (luxury/premium).
• Party Inc. Tokyo digital production studio building websites, e-commerce and brand experiences for Japanese enterprise clients — comparable boutique peer in scope, market and craft.
• Vaan Group: Tokyo-based digital studio providing web, e-commerce and brand experience work for premium Japanese and international clients, comparable boutique-scale peer.

Broad incumbents

• transcosmos: Large Japanese BPO and digital services provider with significant e-commerce implementation, localization and contact-center operations — overlaps with CREAM on enterprise digital transformation but at substantially greater scale.
• HAKUHODO: Major Japanese advertising and integrated marketing agency that has expanded into digital experience, commerce and brand transformation work, competing for similar enterprise brand mandates.

Regional players

• ELTES: Japan-focused digital agency with e-commerce and localization services for global brands entering the Japanese market — closely mirrors CREAM's international-brand-to-Japan localization wedge.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cream-digital-studio
• Xx.com/creamjapan

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CREAM