After you've identified your competitive environment, a clear and detailed understanding of consumer needs is vital to the development of strong product positioning; Japan's unique cultural mindset can often result in a set of consumer needs that are quite different from those common in other developed countries.

The instance of body odor and deodorant presents a good example of how Japanese consumers look for different qualities in the products they buy compared to their Western counterparts. In the case of deodorants, the differences are so marked that the leading deodorant manufacturer in the United States has so far decided not to enter the Japanese market at all.

The Japanese attitude towards body smells and the belief that Western style, heavy-duty deodorants are not required for them because they 'don't smell as bad' are the main reasons why deodorants designed for Japanese are different from those designed for foreigners.

Whether or not there are racial variations in body odor emissions is purely of academic concern but what is of greater importance to marketers is the issue of how people deal with their body odor--a distinction based more on cultural differences than biological ones.

Western culture has traditionally been fragrance-based with individuals mixing deodorants, perfumes and their own body odors to create a 'unique smell' while Japanese culture has tended to discourage the showcasing of one's own smell, preferring the non-intrusive and non-smelling to the fragrant and aromatic.

As a result, Japanese deodorants are marketed on the merit of being 'fresh' rather than 'nice-smelling'. The products also tend to come in lighter fragrances such as green apple and lemon. It is also interesting to note that it seems to be a female-dominated market here, with the male deodorant market hardly visible. Because of this shortfall in familiar products, many foreigners living in Japan choose to stock up on deodorant when they go home or arrange to have a supply shipped in from overseas.

The case study of the deodorant market in Japan is a good example of how consumer needs and attitudes can vary greatly from one country to the next, even in the most seemingly basic of categories.

Having a clear and detailed understanding of consumer needs in your market is essential to developing successful products in Japan.