Decom

What Decom does

Decom Inc. is a Tokyo-based insight research and consulting firm founded in 2002 by Ohmatsu Takahiro (大松孝弘), a former advertising agency executive who pioneered insight research methodology in Japan. The company specializes in identifying latent, non-self-aware consumer motivations — referred to as "insights" — that drive purchasing behavior but cannot be captured through conventional surveys or focus groups. Decom combines psychological projection techniques (visual stimulus method, sentence completion method) with a proprietary four-element analytical framework (Scene/Driver/Emotion/Background) and an in-house n=1 qualitative data platform (Trend banK) containing over 10,000 consumer behavioral events.

Decom monetizes primarily through professional services: custom B2B insight research projects for large Japanese enterprises, structured education programs (Insight School lecture format and Insight Full practice-based program priced at 78,000 JPY per participant), original subscription reports, and its Trend banK self-service media platform. Its client base spans consumer-facing industries including food and beverage (Ninben, Ajinomoto, Mizkan, Lotte, Pokka Sapporo), household products (Kobayashi Pharmaceutical, Asahi Kasei), automotive (Nissan), education (Benesse), staffing (Persol), real estate (Odakyu, LIFULL), consumer finance (Aiful), and cosmetics (Shiseido). Since 2023, the firm has layered generative AI capabilities onto its qualitative research stack, commercializing a product branded DECOM AI that scored a patent grant in April 2026 for an AI insight analysis system that scores the likelihood of success for candidate insights and policy ideas.

Name

Decom

Legal name

株式会社デコム

Website

https://decom.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Decom Inc. is a Tokyo-based insight research consultancy that helps large Japanese enterprises identify latent consumer motivations through proprietary qualitative methodologies, projection techniques, and AI-assisted analysis, generating revenue via custom research projects, training programs, and a media platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Consumer Insight Research & Marketing Consulting

NAICS

Custom Computer Programming Services (541511)

akta.pro primary industry

CRM Strategy, Implementation & Managed Services (MPAAAIAD)

Keywords

• Consumer insight research
• Qualitative market research
• Marketing consulting services
• Consumer psychology analysis
• Brand strategy consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Insight Research Services (インサイトリサーチ事業): Core B2B consulting service providing qualitative consumer insight research to large Japanese corporations. Projects are custom, consultative, and project-based. Revenue is generated through research project fees, typically scoped per engagement with enterprise clients.
2. Education Business (教育事業): Decom operates two educational offerings: 'Insight School' (lecture-format training) and 'Insight Full' (practice-based program). These generate subscription/recurring revenue through training program fees. Insight Full costs 78,000 JPY per person (excluding tax) for a 4-session course. The HR Award 2020 recognition adds credibility to these programs.
3. Proprietary Reports (自社レポート): Decom publishes original research reports such as 'Neo-Family Report' and 'New Wellness Wave,' offering self-service research reports to clients and prospects.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Decom provides qualitative consumer insight research services that identify latent, non-self-aware consumer motivations driving purchasing behavior, using proprietary methodologies combining psychological projection techniques (Visual Stimulus Method, sentence completion) with AI-powered analysis. The firm also runs corporate training programs (Insight School and Insight Full), publishes proprietary consumer trend reports, and offers an AI-driven insight discovery engine (DECOM AI) to enterprise clients primarily in Japan.

Product overview

Decom operates as an insight research company offering a unified portfolio of services centered on discovering latent consumer insights. The core offering is the インサイトリサーチ事業 (Insight Research Business), supplemented by 教育事業 (Insight School and Insight Full programs) and 自社レポート (Original Reports). The product suite includes specialized modules such as DECOM AI (generative AI-powered insight analysis engine), インサイトターゲティング (insight targeting), インサイトフルゲーム (team building), IDEA MINING (hypothesis verification), and グローバル・インサイトリサーチ (global research). Decom also publishes content through its インサイトラボ web magazine and the Trend banK media platform featuring n=1 consumer behavior data. The company positions its 'customer experience trinity' strategy combining education, research, and cloud-based services, underpinned by a proprietary AI insight analysis system patent obtained in April 2026.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• インサイトスクール (Insight School): School-format training program teaching 11 skills and mindsets for becoming an insight-driven professional.
• インサイトフル (Insight Full)
• DECOM AI
• インサイトターゲティング (Insight Targeting)
• インサイトフルゲーム (Insight Full Game)
• IDEA MINING
• トレンドバンク (Trend banK)

Products and services

• Insight Research Business (インサイトリサーチ事業) Decom's core custom consumer insight research service that uses proprietary methodologies (Visual Stimulus Method, 4-Element Framework, AI Insight Analysis) to identify latent, non-self-aware consumer motivations and deliver actionable insights for marketing, product development, and brand strategy. Sold as project-based engagements to large Japanese enterprise clients.
• Education Business — Insight School & Insight Full (教育事業) Decom's proprietary corporate training programs — Insight School (lecture-format training) and Insight Full (4-session practice-based program at 78,000 JPY per person) — that develop employees' ability to discover consumer insights using 11 skills and mindset frameworks. Sold to enterprise marketing and product development teams as well as individual professionals.
• Original Reports (自社レポート) Decom's original research reports analyzing market trends and consumer insights from an insight perspective, including the Neo-Family Report and New Wellness Wave series. Sold to enterprise clients and prospects as subscription or single-purchase research products.
• DECOM AI (Generative AI Insight Analysis Engine) An AI-powered insight analysis engine that uses generative AI and natural language processing to support consumer insight discovery from qualitative consumer data, identifying insights and calculating quantitative evaluation scores to predict success likelihood. Patented technology underpinning Decom's 'customer experience trinity' strategy.
• Insight Targeting (インサイトターゲティング) A service that discovers as-yet-unseen customer segments through deep insight analysis, enabling more precise targeting and value definition for marketing campaigns and product development.
• Insight Full Game (インサイトフルゲーム) A team-building program that combines fieldwork and n=1 user dialogue to drive value creation activities and evolve insight capabilities within client organizations.
• IDEA MINING (Idea Hypothesis Verification Research) An idea hypothesis verification research service that deeply explores insights to generate and validate product and marketing hypotheses, supporting concept testing and idea development for client innovation projects.
• Global Insight Research (グローバル・インサイトリサーチ) A global research service that captures consumer insights across approximately 50 countries and 50 million+ consumers online, combining qualitative hypothesis exploration and quantitative hypothesis verification steps.
• Trend banK (トレンドバンク) A web magazine and self-service subscription media platform operated by Decom that publishes n=1 consumer behavior observations, micro-trends, and mega-trends across 14 consumer life categories, with over 10,000 published items. Functions as both a standalone research subscription product and a lead generation tool for Decom's enterprise services.

Quantifiable outcome

• 700+ insight research and new value creation projects completed over 17 years
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Freelance Research Partners (外部スタッフ/プランナーンパートナー)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerDecom works with a network of freelance researchers, project designers, and analysts who support its research and analysis work on client projects. These partners are described as 'Planning Partners' on Decom's recruit page, assisting with qualitative research, MROC community management, idea development, direct marketing expression analysis, and interview implementation. Partners operate with flexible work arrangements including remote work and minimal meeting requirements.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• Kantar: Global consumer insight and consulting firm with a strong presence in Japan through its Millward Brown and Worldpanel divisions. Comparable on brand strategy and consumer insight consulting for large multinationals.

Broad incumbents

• Ipsos: Global market research and consumer insight firm with significant operations in Japan. Comparable core capability (consumer insight research) but at much larger scale and global reach than Decom.
• Dentsu Inc. Global advertising and marketing services giant headquartered in Tokyo, with extensive consumer research capabilities. Overlaps with Decom on insight-led marketing strategy but as a much larger incumbent across the full marketing value chain.
• Hakuhodo Inc. Japan's second-largest advertising agency with a substantial research and consumer insight division serving blue-chip Japanese brands. Broader incumbent that overlaps with Decom on consumer insight research as part of a wider agency/services portfolio.

Direct peers

• Video Research Ltd. Long-established Japanese consumer/media research firm specializing in audience measurement and consumer behavior studies. Comparable in terms of Japanese enterprise clients and qualitative/quantitative research offerings.
• Intage Inc. Japan's largest domestic market research firm, providing consumer panel data, custom research, and consulting. Directly comparable as a Japanese insight/research firm serving large enterprise clients across CPG and consumer industries.
• Cross Marketing Inc. Tokyo-based market research firm offering quantitative and qualitative consumer research to Japanese enterprises. Comparable in client base (large Japanese corporates) and service mix (custom research plus digital panel).
• GMO Research & AI: Japanese online research and panel firm providing consumer insights to enterprises across Asia. Comparable in technology-enabled consumer research delivery and target market (Japanese and APAC enterprises).
• Macromill: Tokyo-headquartered online market research firm providing consumer insights and marketing research to Japanese and global enterprises. Closest direct peer in the Japanese consumer insight / market research space with similar B2B enterprise focus.

Emerging players

• Qualtrics (SAP): Experience management platform increasingly used for consumer and brand insight research, with AI-driven qualitative and quantitative analysis. An emerging adjacent competitor / tool that enterprise clients may use alongside or instead of traditional insight consultancies.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Decom_reseach
• Facebookfacebook.com/decomtokyo
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/%E6%A0%AA%E5%BC%8F%E4%BC%9A%E7%A4%BE%E3%83%87%E3%82%B3%E3%83%A0

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 Decom