Market Research in Little Tokyo

"Successful people are always looking for opportunities to help others. Unsuccessful people are always asking, 'What's in it for me?'"
Brian Tracy, Author and Motivational Speaker

To gain our first customer base, Chirp is focused on serving the blind box collector community. Blind box collectors are already familiar with the blind box or "gacha" component of Chirp's main mechanics, and they have a strong community. Our target audience is mainly comprised of people like me: women ages 18-30 who like Sonny Angels, Smiskis, and Pop Mart. These blind boxes are available for sale in Los Angeles's Little Tokyo, a tourist attraction and hub for trendy Japanese stores.

In an effort to do some quick market research, I visited Little Tokyo on a busy Saturday afternoon. While roaming around and visiting shops, I took note of the women my age. They tended to:

• Have small shoulder bags with colorful keychains and charms attached.
• Be with one or more other women with similar style OR be with their boyfriends.
• Be fashionable; wear skirts, lace, boots, and claw clips.
• Have a snack or sweet beverage in hand.
• Wear makeup and have their hair done.

I also commonly saw Monchhichi, Miffy, and Hello Kitty.

Now that I think about it, opening blind boxes with friends is probably the best way to do it: you tell each other which toy you want, you open your boxes at the same time, then you trade.

Note to self: need to implement a feature on Chirp for posting about your new profile frame after receiving it. Also: need to implement a feature for trading profile frames with friends. These are great and exciting ideas for Chirp, but definitely not within the scope of the MVP. Man, there's always so much coding to do.

Sonny Angels and Smiskis also come in what are called "Hippers". They're designed to perch atop a flat edge, held in place by an adhesive. Chirp could implement collectible hippers that perch on the edge of a profile banner. Another dream feature for a much more mature version of the code.

In my attempt to understand blind box collectors (but also because they're so cute), I am starting my own collection of Smiskis. This necessitated our adventure to Little Tokyo. Our first stop was a small shop called "Monkey Pants", which was recommended to me by a close friend and fellow blind box collector. We didn't see any Smiskis in our loop around the shop floor, so we asked the cashier behind the desk:

"Hi, do you guys have any Smiskis?"
"The only Smiskis we have are these plush keychains."
"Oh...."
He turns to chat with his coworker.
"Um, excuse me? Do you know where I might be able to find Smiskis?"

He exchanges glances with his coworker, who straightens. They respond with serious expressions: There's a shop across the street...another store this way....if you turn left...you can try that shop...maybe this store.

"Ok, got it, thank you!"
"Good luck!" They chime.

We begin to exit, and one of them holds the door open for us. "Good luck, guys."
"Thank you!"

It was then that I was struck by this sense of camaraderie. The two shop keepers had guided us so earnestly and wished us luck on our search for Smiskis. It was touching. I love this about the community of blind box collectors.

Next, I wanted a blueberry matcha from Cafe Dulce, which was just across the way. There was a Cafe Dulce in the USC Village, and I ordered their blueberry matchas often. We walked over to get in line...and kept walking. It seemed like all of Little Tokyo was in line for a blueberry matcha. I gave up on my sweet treat, but this observation supports an assumption that I have about the blind box collecting community: they love matcha. I could go around to matcha shops around LA and ask if I could put up a flyer for Chirp.

We found our way to one of the shops recommended by the shop keepers at Monkey Pants. And there they were, tucked against wall behind the cashier: Smiskis. I practically skipped my way over, only to come to a complete halt when I saw the price tag. The Monkey Pants boys had warned us: it would be impossible to get Smiskis at retail price in Little Tokyo. They were right. Online, a Smiski will run you $12. At this shop, they were charging $19.99!

I observed this as a pain point for the blind box collector community. Luckily, Chirp runs on a virtual currency of Chirp Crystals, which won't need to be sold anywhere other than on the Chirp app. Maybe I can scam people by selling Chirp Crystal codes on third party websites. Joking.

I resolved to ordering my Smiskis online for retail price. I left Little Tokyo in low spirits. Neither the Smiskis nor the blueberry matcha found their way to me that day.

And in typical Los Angeles fashion, we still had to pay for parking.