#Japan #Customer Acquisition #Shinjuku #Digital Ads #Raicrew

Growing Concerns Over Digital Ads in Customer Acquisition

A recent survey conducted by Raicrew, a Tokyo-based company, has shed light on the precarious position of businesses relying heavily on digital advertising for customer acquisition. The study, aimed at company executives aged 20 to 60, has revealed that an alarming number of these organizations are experiencing a sense of crisis regarding their dependency on digital ads.

Background of the Issue

In recent years, the tightening of privacy regulations has limited the use of third-party cookies, which, combined with a decline in the accuracy of targeted ads, has led to a significant increase in the cost per acquisition (CPA) for digital advertising. This has become a severe issue for many businesses. Furthermore, the rapid proliferation of generative AI and advancements in AI search technologies have dramatically altered customer information-gathering processes and purchasing behaviors. As a result, companies are facing a critical turning point in their marketing strategies. Despite the escalating CPA, companies that have heavily relied on digital ads are grappling with the difficulty of immediately halting their advertising efforts. They are increasingly challenged to explore alternative customer acquisition channels and innovate new customer touchpoints using AI. However, while there is an abundance of statistics regarding the digital advertising market and trends in AI utilization, there is a lack of concrete data on how companies currently perceive the risks of ad dependency, or the specific alternative channels they are considering in the wake of rapid technological advances. To address this gap, Raicrew conducted a study on corporate customer acquisition channels.

Survey Summary

The survey highlighted several key findings:

• - Over 45% of companies identified 'referrals' as their primary customer acquisition channel.
• - Approximately 30% of companies rely on digital advertising for customer acquisition.
• - More than 60% of executives from companies dependent on digital ads express concerns about their reliance on these platforms.
• - About 25% of companies have faced an increase in CPA over the past three years.
• - Over 40% of firms plan to maintain their digital advertising budget while improving operations in light of rising CPA.
• - Executives noted that they should focus on channels outside of digital ads, particularly referrals and public relations (PR) efforts.

Survey Methodology

The survey was conducted between March 17 and 18, 2026, using an online approach. It gathered insights from 312 company executives across various age groups. The monitoring data was provided by RC Research Data.

Key Findings

1. Dominance of Referrals: The survey found that more than 45% of companies rely primarily on 'referrals' for customer acquisition, with outbound sales ranking second at 23.7%, and PR activities following at 19.6%. This indicates a strong preference for traditional customer acquisition methods over digital ads.

2. Digital Advertising Dependency: When asked about their level of dependency on digital advertising, 50.3% of respondents stated they were 'not dependent at all', while approximately 27.6% admitted to varying degrees of dependency on digital ads. This demonstrates that nearly one-third of firms still rely on this channel for customer acquisition.

3. Concern Over Dependency: Among those firms dependent on digital ads, over 60% expressed varying levels of concern regarding their reliance, with 46.5% stating they have 'some concern' about this dependency.

4. CPA Challenges: Regarding changes in CPA over the past three years, 66.4% reported that it remains the same, while 24.1% indicated that theirs had increased, showing that about one in four companies is experiencing this challenging trend.

5. Future Strategies: In light of rising CPA and other issues, over 40% of executives plan to maintain their digital advertising budgets while optimizing operational efforts. Furthermore, referrals and PR activities are seen as the most promising channels for future investment outside of digital advertising.

Conclusion

This survey highlights that more than 45% of companies identify referrals as their primary customer acquisition strategy, while about 30% continue to rely on digital ads. Alarmingly, more than 60% of executives express concerns about their reliance on these ads. Additionally, with about 25% of companies facing rising CPA, and over 40% choosing to reinforce their current budgets, it signifies a pivotal moment for many businesses contemplating their customer acquisition strategies.

With these insights, Raicrew offers a "Survey PR | Research Release" service aimed at helping companies facing challenges like rising CPA and lack of brand awareness. With a proven track record of supporting over 600 companies, Raicrew provides a PR service that utilizes research data to enhance corporate visibility and create robust customer acquisition strategies, thereby alleviating some of the pressures caused by an overreliance on digital advertising.

For more details, please visit our contact page or explore more about Raicrew on our company website.