What BMFT does

BMFT (株式会社ビー・エム・エフティー, B.M.FT, Inc.) is a privately held Japanese marketing research and consulting firm headquartered in Sendagaya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, established in June 1990 by Representative Director Masumi Kozuka. The firm specializes in consumer insights, product concept development, and marketing strategy for the Japanese food and beverage and consumer goods industries, serving B2C product companies — primarily food and beverage manufacturers and consumer goods firms — alongside media and broadcasting clients such as FM radio stations. BMFT operates with a lean named team of five professionals spanning director, research, and advisory roles, and delivers projects that integrate target definition, scene analysis, and benefit identification into concept development.

The company's service offering rests on established qualitative and quantitative research methodologies — focus group interviews, in-depth interviews, internet surveys, home usage tests (HUT), central location tests (CLT), and door-to-door surveys — combined with proprietary multivariate analytical techniques including cluster analysis, correspondence analysis, benefit-satisfaction analysis, the laddering method, and taste segmentation. BMFT's product portfolio centers on a family of syndicated research reports tracking Japanese consumer preferences over multi-year horizons: the Sizzle Word series on food descriptive language (since 2003), Flavor Taste on ingredient and seasoning preferences (since 2019), Healthy Item on health-conscious consumption (since 2006), Region Brand of Food on prefectural food associations (covering all 47 prefectures), and Sizzle Word to Foods linking expressions to specific products. Each report is priced at ¥110,000–¥165,000 and bundles printed materials with PDF and Excel cross-tabulation data. BMFT also publishes books through its BMFT Publishing Division on marketing, product development, regional regeneration, and food culture, distributed via Amazon Japan, Kinokuniya, e-hon, and direct e-book sales.

BMFT generates revenue through three streams: (1) one-time sales of proprietary syndicated research reports at ¥110,000–¥165,000 each, (2) one-time book sales through e-commerce and retail channels at ¥1,600–¥2,800 each, and (3) bespoke marketing research and consulting services for enterprise clients covering concept exploration, product testing, brand and naming evaluation, and positioning research. The go-to-market model is sales-led and direct, with research reports sold exclusively through the company website via inquiry forms and no disclosed third-party resellers or external institutional investors; books reach mass-market buyers through Amazon and major Japanese retailers.

Name

BMFT

Legal name

株式会社 ビー・エム・エフティー

Website

https://bmft.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

BMFT (B.M.FT, Inc.) is a Tokyo-based Japanese marketing research and consulting firm founded in 1990, specializing in consumer insights, product concept development, and quantitative and qualitative research for Japanese food and beverage manufacturers and B2C consumer products companies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Market Research Services

NAICS

Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling (54191)

akta.pro primary industry

B2B / Industrial Market Research (MPAAALAA)

Keywords

• Consumer market research
• Product concept development
• Food preference analysis
• Syndicated research reports
• Multivariate data analysis

Headquarters

HQ city

Minami-aoyama

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Research Reports: BMFT publishes periodic research reports on food preferences, healthy eating, flavors, and regional food brands. Reports are sold for ¥110,000-¥165,000 per publication, including printed reports and data CDs with Excel cross-tabulation data.
2. Book Publishing: BMFT publishes books through their BMFT Publishing division covering marketing, product development, and food culture topics. Books are sold through Amazon, Kinokuniya, and other retailers at prices ranging from ¥1,600-¥2,800.
3. Marketing Research Services: Custom marketing research consulting services including concept development, product testing, brand testing, and positioning research for B2C product companies.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

BMFT conducts qualitative and quantitative marketing research for B2C companies in Japan, with a particular emphasis on food, beverage, and consumer goods categories. The firm sells recurring syndicated research reports (covering flavor preferences, food-related language, healthy eating, and regional food branding) and delivers custom research projects spanning concept development, concept testing, product testing, brand/naming evaluation, and design testing. BMFT also publishes books on marketing, product development, and food culture through its BMFT Publishing division.

Product overview

BMFT (B.M.FT, Inc.) is a Japanese marketing research company offering consumer research services and proprietary research reports. The company provides qualitative and quantitative marketing research for BtoC products and services, specializing in product development research, and publishes a portfolio of research reports including Sizzle Word Reports (tracking food-related expressions), Healthy Item Reports (health-conscious eating), Flavor Taste Reports (flavor preferences), and Region Brand of Food Reports (regional food branding). The company also provides analytical services including cluster analysis and correspondence analysis, as well as editorial and production services for marketing materials.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Marketing Research Services Comprehensive qualitative and quantitative consumer research services for B2C products and services, delivered to corporate marketing and product development teams in Japan.
• Product Development Research Services Research services aimed at new product development, including concept exploration, concept testing, product testing, brand/naming evaluation, design testing, and combined concept and product testing engagements.
• Sizzle Word Reports (おいしいを感じる言葉) Recurring syndicated research tracking Japanese consumer preferences for descriptive language that evokes deliciousness in food and beverages, with multi-year time-series data on taste, texture, informational, and emotional expressions.
• Healthy Item Reports (飲食するヘルシー) Recurring syndicated research on health-conscious eating in Japan, covering health indices, efficacy effects, healthy conscious foods, and supplemental ingredients with longitudinal trend analysis.
• Flavor Taste Reports (好きな風味・素材) Recurring syndicated research on Japanese consumer preferences for flavors and ingredients in food and beverages, with trend analysis spanning ingredient-based and seasoning-based flavor categories.
• Region Brand of Food Reports (おいしい都道府県) Recurring syndicated research on regional food brand perception, examining which Japanese prefectures consumers associate with delicious food across multiple food categories.
• Sizzle Word to Foods Reports (言葉から想起する食べ物・飲み物) Syndicated research analyzing which foods and beverages Japanese consumers associate with specific sizzle words (sensory/expressive terms), linking sensory language to product categories.
• Cluster Analysis Services Multivariate analytical services that segment consumer populations along lifestyle values, product preferences, and communication needs, supporting targeting decisions for B2C clients.
• Correspondence Analysis Services Multivariate analytical services that plot variables and target consumer segments in shared dimensions to visualize relationships across product selection criteria, preferences, and sizzle word associations.
• Editorial and Production Services Editing and production services for marketing communications including FM radio station media materials, information magazines, and book publications, including e-book production.
• BMFT Publishing Books Books published by BMFT Publishing covering marketing case studies, product development guidance, food culture, and regional revitalization topics, sold through retail channels at ¥1,600–¥2,800 plus tax.

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Macromill Inc. Tokyo-headquartered digital market research firm with proprietary consumer panels and global operations. Competes with BMFT for Japanese consumer research engagements, especially online survey work.
• Cross Marketing Inc. Japanese online and offline market research firm providing consumer panels, custom research, and syndicated studies. Comparable to BMFT in serving Japanese enterprise buyers of consumer insight.
• Intage Inc. Largest Japan-based market research firm offering consumer, healthcare, and marketing research including syndicated tracking studies. Directly comparable to BMFT as a B2B research provider serving Japanese F&B and CPG manufacturers.
• Rakuten Insight Inc. Japanese consumer panel operator (formerly eo Insight) providing online survey access and custom research. Comparable to BMFT in delivering consumer research to Japanese enterprise clients.
• GMO Research Inc. Japanese online market research and panel company operating the GMO AsiaCloud Panel. Comparable to BMFT in delivering consumer insight to Japanese and APAC enterprise clients.

Regional players

• Video Research Ltd. Established Japanese audience and consumer research firm, historically known for TV ratings and now offering broader consumer insight. Comparable to BMFT for media/audience research work in the Japanese market.
• Central Research (Chuo Kikaku): Long-established Japanese consumer and social research firm with syndicated tracking and custom research offerings. Comparable to BMFT in serving Japanese enterprise buyers with consumer insight.

Broad incumbents

• Nielsen Holdings (Japan): Global market research incumbent with a Japanese operation providing syndicated consumer and media measurement. Competes with BMFT in Japanese F&B and CPG research with broader portfolio resources.
• Kantar Japan: Global research group operating in Japan across brand, consumer, and media research. Comparable to BMFT in providing brand and consumer insight to Japanese F&B/CPG enterprises.
• Ipsos (Japan): Global market research firm with Japan presence offering consumer, brand, and product research. Comparable to BMFT for enterprise-level F&B and consumer goods insight work in Japan.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

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 BMFT