Hasta La Gadget!

Recently, women’s undergarment maker Peach John started offering a line of gashapon capsules containing their own branded items. These miniature mobile phone “straps” attach to the hole on a mobile phone for decoration and can be found on just about anyone’s handset these days.

Below is a video introduction to the Peach John shop in Shibuya 109.

Peach John’s straps are available in machines in their shops, but if you go to just about any shopping center or toy shop you can find row upon row of gashapon machines that dispense everything from miniature anime characters to collectible items on just about any topic. Many of these machines are selling branded items, typically miniature versions of the real product, that can be attached to handsets. Below are four examples (out of many) that we saw recently representing Mister Donut, Lotte Gum, AU mobile (mini handsets!), and Gatsby hair gel.

While brands often give away mobile phone straps as promotions, these cost money (from $1 – $5) and still manage to sell out. This is where Japan’s deep consumer and mobile phone cultures collide in a fun way.

Trend Potential
Mobile phone culture runs deep in Japan, and accessorizing the devices is particularly important for users regardless of age. The Mobile Trendpool features the rest of this report and many other similar marketing and mobile trends.

Via Danny Choo and Gyao.