Launch of Japan's First AI-Augmented Intent Data "Interest Sign"
and Free Keyword-Based Intent Data "Interest Signal"

— Innovative "High-Potential Enterprise" Visualization Solution Supporting B2B Sales and Marketing —

uSonar Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo; Chairman: Nami Fukutomi; President: Katsuhito Nagatake; hereinafter "uSonar") has officially released "Interest Signal" *1, which identifies corporate purchasing intent in real-time using custom keywords to generate target company lists, and "Interest Sign" *2, Japan's first AI-augmented intent data generation service that utilizes AI to create highly accurate target lists.
This service is a next-generation solution that integrates Japan's largest corporate database, "LBC" *3, with corporate behavioral data to dramatically improve the efficiency and performance of sales and marketing.
These services are integrated into uSonar's management strategy platform, "PLANSonar" *4.

In B2B marketing, the following challenges hinder the efficiency of sales and marketing activities:

• Lack of Visibility into Potential Customer Behavior: Limited means to grasp behavioral data during the early stages of the purchasing process (the so-called "Dark Funnel").
• Insufficient Prediction of Churn Risk: Inability to detect early signs of churn among existing customers, leading to missed opportunities to prevent migration to competitors.
• Lack of Real-Time Lead Detection: Absence of methods to identify target accounts at the optimal time.

Furthermore, in the current landscape where high-precision, cookie-less targeting is required, the importance of technology that visualizes corporate needs while ensuring personal data protection is increasing.

To address these challenges, uSonar has evolved its corporate list (intent data) generation service *5, announced in 2019 using fixed corporate IP addresses, to develop "Interest Signal" and "Interest Sign."
By integrating these services into the management strategy platform "PLANSonar," we support the optimization of sales activities and the improvement of business outcomes.

Generally, intent data has faced the following challenges:
1. Over-reliance on Fixed IP Addresses
Data utilizing fixed IP addresses tends to be skewed toward large enterprises, covering only about 200,000 companies.
→ "Interest Sign" has overcome this challenge by leveraging data from approximately 1 million companies, including small and medium-sized enterprises.
2. Difficulty in Identifying Access Sources
It is difficult to determine whether access originates from a headquarters, branch office, or factory.
→ We plan to address this challenge with "IDoid," which is currently under development.

1. Interest Signal
An intent data generation service that creates lists of companies interested in your specified keywords.

• Keyword-Based List Generation: Analyzes web behavior data based on specified keywords to visualize potential customers.
• Integration with LBC: Integrates corporate attribute data (industry, revenue scale, location, etc.) to generate highly accurate lists.
• Real-Time Capability: Enables you to identify the optimal timing for sales negotiations based on the most recent behavioral data.

2. Interest Sign (Japan's First)
A high-precision target list generation service that expands data obtained from Interest Signal by utilizing regional IP and AI.

• AI-Powered Filtering by Region and Corporate Attributes: Utilizes AI to estimate interested companies by combining web behavioral history with corporate attributes.
• Adoption of Patent-Pending Technology: Provides high-precision corporate insights through Japan's first innovative method that does not rely on fixed IP addresses or Cookie data.

3. IDoid
"IDoid," a new service currently under development, is a solution designed to further enhance Interest Signal and Interest Sign by identifying specific access sources (such as headquarters, branch offices, factories, or departments). Details will be announced upon the official release.

Interest Signals and Interest Sign are implemented in the corporate strategy platform PLANSonar, which can be used in conjunction with Live Access*6 to identify companies browsing your website, delivering the following benefits.

• Clarification of Target Accounts

Dynamically list target companies with high purchase intent detected by Interest Signals and Interest Sign on PLANSonar. Streamline sales activities by instantly sharing high-priority companies with sales representatives.

• Approaching Potential Customers

Leverage Interest Signals and Interest Sign data to visualize the behavior and needs of target companies in real time. Provide this information in a format that facilitates the management of outreach status to potential customers on the PLANSonar dashboard.

• Registration, Attribute Assignment, and Analysis of Acquired Leads

Assign needs detected by Interest Signals and Interest Sign to lead information acquired through trade shows or document requests, and analyze them alongside attribute data. This allows you to determine the optimal timing for priority outreach.

• Nurturing Promising Prospects

Utilize various corporate attribute data, including Interest Signals and Interest Sign, within PLANSonar to achieve seamless data integration with Marketing Automation (MA) tools and CRM systems. We provide an environment that enables efficient and smooth identification of promising prospects, campaign design, and nurturing activities.

• Efficient Sales Activities

By linking corporate needs identified through "Interest Signals" and "Interest Sign" with business card information, sales representatives can develop concrete approach strategies. This enables streamlined sales activities and increases the probability of converting leads into business negotiations.

• Early Detection of Churn Risk

By leveraging "Interest Signals" and "Interest Sign," you can identify potential churn candidates who show interest in competitor products or services—insights often missed by relying solely on CS activities or website visit history. This allows for the identification of hidden needs and supports proactive risk management.

Click Here for Details on PLANSonar, Featuring Japan's First AI-Enhanced Intent Data "Interest Sign"

*1: "Interest Signal" is an intent data service that collects and analyzes data from approximately 8,000 websites, including advertising delivery results and 3rd Party data from partner companies, to identify companies interested in specific keywords.
*2: "Interest Sign" is Japan's first intent data service that uses AI to expand upon "Interest Signal"—which identifies companies interested in specific keywords—by incorporating regional and corporate attribute data. (Japan's First: Based on our internal research of domestic intent data services as of December 15, 2024.)
*3: "LBC" is uSonar's corporate data service that assigns an 11-digit management code to business locations across Japan. It centrally manages rich corporate attribute information, including industry, revenue, profit, number of employees, and fixed IP addresses. By matching your client data with LBC, you can perform precise targeting that excludes existing clients. (Largest in Japan: Based on our internal research of the number of head office and business location records held for Japanese companies as of December 15, 2024.)
https://usonar.co.jp/service/usonar/index.php#serviceLbc
*4: "PLANSonar" is an innovative platform that allows for the centralized management of corporate strategy from planning to execution. In today's business environment where rapid decision-making is essential, PLANSonar serves as a next-generation strategic tool, providing powerful support to strategy and marketing professionals.
https://usonar.co.jp/content/plansonar/
*5: Please check the following URL for information regarding the corporate list generation (intent data) service announced in 2019.
https://usonar.co.jp/en/news/20190222_4801.html
*6: "Live Access" identifies companies visiting your website based on their IP addresses and displays this information in PLANSonar or exports it to Google Analytics. Since it can identify attributes such as industry and number of employees in addition to company names, it can be used for verifying the effectiveness of landing pages and advertisements, or for utilizing visiting companies as a sales list.