Transparency brings a smile to pet toothbrush brand’s face
"Every brand should sign up for Transparency."
Nobuhiro Taba
CEO, TABA BRUSH
A fresh take on dental hygiene
TABA BRUSH has been helping people have brighter smiles for 70 years. Despite his experience as a toothbrush maker, it took an ordeal at the vet's for Nobuhiro Taba – TABA BRUSH's CEO and namesake – to realize good oral hygiene is as important to dogs as it is to humans.
When the family's cherished toy poodle went for a routine vet appointment, they received quite a shock. Nobuhiro recalls, "He had so much tartar he had to be given general anaesthesia, poor guy!"
And tartar was the least of this unlucky canine's problems. Two of his teeth had decayed so badly they had to be pulled out. Issues like these are common with dogs. In fact, a recent study states that as high as 90% of dogs will have a periodontal disease before they turn two years old. While the dog soon recovered, the experience was an eye-opener for Nobuhiro.
"Our company makes toothbrushes," he continues, "So, having seen what our beloved dog had to go through, I naturally started wondering whether there was anything I could do to help."
When the family's cherished toy poodle went for a routine vet appointment, they received quite a shock. Nobuhiro recalls, "He had so much tartar he had to be given general anaesthesia, poor guy!"
And tartar was the least of this unlucky canine's problems. Two of his teeth had decayed so badly they had to be pulled out. Issues like these are common with dogs. In fact, a recent study states that as high as 90% of dogs will have a periodontal disease before they turn two years old. While the dog soon recovered, the experience was an eye-opener for Nobuhiro.
"Our company makes toothbrushes," he continues, "So, having seen what our beloved dog had to go through, I naturally started wondering whether there was anything I could do to help."
A brush with fate
After mulling things over, he came up with an idea: what if there were a toothbrush that made it as easy for pet owners to brush their dogs' teeth as their own?
The average Japanese dog owner spends more on grooming and caring for their faithful companion than they do on themselves. Their furry friend's health and well-being is clearly important to them, however, most pet toothbrushes on the market at the time were one-size-fits-all and unsuitable for smaller breeds like toy poodles and French bulldogs. Additionally, the typical pet toothbrush's bristles were made of synthetic materials. These could be tough on sensitive teeth and gums, making brushing an unpleasant experience for everyone.
Armed with these insights, Nobuhiro came up with a deceptively simple and ground-breaking innovation: natural bristles. He developed several prototypes and eventually settled on a design he called MIKAGENDE.
"I designed MIKAGENDE specifically so it would be comfortable for small dogs and puppies," he explains. "These bristles are gentler on the gums than synthetic ones and they have a slight scent that is attractive to dogs. So, it's easier for the owner to persuade their pet to sit still and have their teeth cleaned on a regular basis."
The average Japanese dog owner spends more on grooming and caring for their faithful companion than they do on themselves. Their furry friend's health and well-being is clearly important to them, however, most pet toothbrushes on the market at the time were one-size-fits-all and unsuitable for smaller breeds like toy poodles and French bulldogs. Additionally, the typical pet toothbrush's bristles were made of synthetic materials. These could be tough on sensitive teeth and gums, making brushing an unpleasant experience for everyone.
Armed with these insights, Nobuhiro came up with a deceptively simple and ground-breaking innovation: natural bristles. He developed several prototypes and eventually settled on a design he called MIKAGENDE.
"I designed MIKAGENDE specifically so it would be comfortable for small dogs and puppies," he explains. "These bristles are gentler on the gums than synthetic ones and they have a slight scent that is attractive to dogs. So, it's easier for the owner to persuade their pet to sit still and have their teeth cleaned on a regular basis."
First success
With a product that he felt confident about, it was time for Nobuhiro to launch. And Amazon was the obvious place to start.
Part of the appeal was that Amazon's setup process was straightforward and relatively inexpensive. "Amazon was very cost-effective and user-friendly, so it made sense to launch on it," Nobuhiro recalls.
But the deciding factor was the fact that Amazon could take care of the logistics. "We could send the product to Amazon and they'd handle storage, deliveries and returns," explains Nobuhiro.
"That was a huge advantage, because it meant we could offer fast shipping and first-class customer service without having to rent warehouse space or hire more employees."
To Nobuhiro's delight, MIKAGENDE’s sales took off immediately with very little promotion.
Part of the appeal was that Amazon's setup process was straightforward and relatively inexpensive. "Amazon was very cost-effective and user-friendly, so it made sense to launch on it," Nobuhiro recalls.
But the deciding factor was the fact that Amazon could take care of the logistics. "We could send the product to Amazon and they'd handle storage, deliveries and returns," explains Nobuhiro.
"That was a huge advantage, because it meant we could offer fast shipping and first-class customer service without having to rent warehouse space or hire more employees."
To Nobuhiro's delight, MIKAGENDE’s sales took off immediately with very little promotion.
LOCATION
Japan
INDUSTRY
Pets
AMAZON LAUNCH
2019
BRAND PROTECTION TOOLS
Amazon Brand Registry
Transparency
Transparency
Brushing up on brand protection
As his sales soared, Nobuhiro started worrying because he had heard from other pet brands about counterfeits.
"That got me really worried about what customers were getting and how it affected their impression of the brand. This is a product that they put in their beloved pets' mouths and is supposed to improve oral hygiene."
However, after conducting some test buys, thankfully, Nobuhiro knew that his products weren’t being counterfeited. He still felt that it was important to proactively protect his customers and brands against potential counterfeits.
He began looking for a proactive solution and found it with Transparency. As a product serialization service that identifies products on a unit level, Transparency prevents counterfeits and materially different products from reaching customers, and enhances customer experience.
On top of that, Transparency also offers end-to-end traceability that leverages Transparency codes to trace products in the supply chain and helps identify supply-chain defects.
"That got me really worried about what customers were getting and how it affected their impression of the brand. This is a product that they put in their beloved pets' mouths and is supposed to improve oral hygiene."
However, after conducting some test buys, thankfully, Nobuhiro knew that his products weren’t being counterfeited. He still felt that it was important to proactively protect his customers and brands against potential counterfeits.
He began looking for a proactive solution and found it with Transparency. As a product serialization service that identifies products on a unit level, Transparency prevents counterfeits and materially different products from reaching customers, and enhances customer experience.
On top of that, Transparency also offers end-to-end traceability that leverages Transparency codes to trace products in the supply chain and helps identify supply-chain defects.
Hygiene product quality is incredibly important. If something wrong happens to our product, Transparency can enable us to track the unit-level information of each item, as well as which batch they came from. For small companies like us, these functions really do help.Nobuhiro TabaCEO
A mark of trust
After joining Transparency, their relationship with customers has never been better. Customers can verify that they have authentic products no matter where they purchase them, by scanning the Transparency code on the product packaging.
Nobuhiro credits Transparency with some of their products’ success.
Nobuhiro credits Transparency with some of their products’ success.
"The Transparency logo is a mark of trust. It gives customers peace of mind that the product they've purchased is genuine. Our products are getting great reviews and high ratings. And this has been a boon for business. We've never been on more solid ground. Transparency is bad news for bad actors... and good news for everyone else."
Enrol today in Transparency
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