[Topic 291] Learning from Beer Tax Cuts and Heisei Retro! A "Re-Identity" Strategy for SMEs to Survive the Rough Seas of Late 2026

As I flip through the pages in the silence, your face suddenly comes to mind—the SME owner who is fighting a lonely battle, troubled by daily cash flow issues and labor shortages. "I'm so busy just keeping up with daily operations that I have no time to follow second-half trends," or "No matter how much I communicate our company's vision, it doesn't resonate with employees or customers." ...Don't you feel a sharp pain in your chest from that kind of anxiety?

However, please rest assured.

By the time you finish reading this article, the pain of what seems like a massive wave—the "rapidly changing consumer trends of the second half of 2026"—should have transformed into a concrete, exciting realization of 'So this is how I can leverage my company's strengths!' Let's begin a strategy meeting for the near future together.

Article Summary

While the trend toward frugality due to the Hormuz Shock continues, the second half of 2026 will be defined by four "Re"s (Restart, Retro, Recovery, and Real). In addition to the intensification of the beer market following liquor tax revisions and the renewal of commercial facilities like Shibuya Marui, "Heisei Retro"—influenced by parents—and sequels to classic films (Return/Repeat) have become go-to content for Gen Reiwa youth, among whom mega-hits are hard to come by. Furthermore, investment in desires such as "guilty consumption" and "cheat days" as a reaction to daily austerity, as well as energy-saving consumption (Revival) reminiscent of the oil shock era, are also emerging. Companies are required to "reconstruct" in line with these drastic environmental changes.

Source: Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Morning Edition, June 3, 2026), "(Hit Product Ranking Second Half Forecast) Dancing Consumption Starts with Re-types"

3 Key Points

• Redefining the "Standard/Classic": In an era of excessive choices, customers do not want to be confused. Clearly present your company's "this is the classic" product or service.

• Involving the "Values of Parents (Older Generation)": When developing new products for young people, intentionally mix in a retro context that resonates with the 40-50s "parent generation" to aim for empathy and diffusion within the family.

• Aiming for "On-Off Consumption": Usually, be frugal and energy-efficient. Therefore, have a slightly luxurious, sensory-satisfying option ready to be chosen as a "reward (cheat)" for oneself when the time is right.

The "Customer Pain" Behind the News

The essence of this article is not merely the superficial talk of "beer getting cheaper" or "Heisei retro becoming popular." To my eyes, having processed countless "raw voices of customers" while suffering in the complaints department, the "deep sense of being lost and the loneliness of consumers" behind it is clearly visible.

Consumers today are overwhelmed by information and no longer know "what the right choice is." The fact that Gen Reiwa youth lament, "I envy the Showa and Heisei eras where everyone could enjoy things together," is a reflection of the pain of "the loneliness of being trapped in one's own narrow timeline and unable to connect deeply with others." That is precisely why they are returning to Heisei culture, which their parents say "was good," or to common languages like "Bayside Shakedown" or "Toy Story" that everyone knows, seeking an intense sense of security.

And another pain is the "austerity fatigue" accompanying the Hormuz Shock. People are cutting waste, striving for energy efficiency, and tightening their household budgets every day. In the midst of such a tense daily life, people are seeking a desperate recovery, wanting to "go crazy with luxury once in a while" or "have their desires fully affirmed."

Practice: Things You Can Do Immediately on the Front Lines Starting Tomorrow

You don't need to spend hundreds of millions of yen like a large corporation to launch a new brand like "Hare-kaze" or "Suntory Nama." Here are the gritty, small steps that we SMEs should practice on the front lines starting tomorrow.

1. Talk to your employees at the morning assembly about what your company's "Maru-F (Standard)" is.

Excessive choices tire out customers. Start from within the company. Tomorrow, ask your employees this: "Among our products, which one do you think is our 'classic' that we absolutely want to leave for customers 10 years from now?" Aligning the president's vision with the front-line perception and creating a state where you can confidently recommend it to customers by saying, "This is it!" is the first step toward a restart.

2. Try making just one "Parent-Child Set" or "Nostalgic Reprint"

If you run a restaurant or service business, try bringing back a limited-time menu item (or specification) that was popular in the early Heisei era. Your target is not today's youth, but their "parent generation." Create a mechanism where parents can say, "I remember this!" with sparkling eyes while talking to their children.

Kojima-style: A "Re-Thinking" Framework for Surviving the Second Half of 2026

Bonus: Flavor-changing ideas

"Smartphone-Free Showa Vacant House Revival Diner"

If you want to sharpen this wave of retro-real consumption to the extreme, how about a "Time-Slip Diner" that utilizes an entire vacant Showa-era house?

You cook in a real residential kitchen, carry the food to the living room, and have family customers gather around a low table. In the children's room, they can slurp noodles while sitting at a desk from that era, and in the tatami room with an alcove, they can enjoy a slightly luxurious hospitality meal. The chefs rotate, and instead of serving their specialty dishes, they provide daily specials that recreate the cuisine that colored the "mid-Showa 50s" or "late Heisei 10s."

And the biggest rule is "No smartphones during meals." By forcibly cutting off digital connections, you immerse them in the "real"—the Showa space, the dining table in front of them, and family conversation. It is the ultimate recovery space business for modern people suffering from digital fatigue.

A cheer from your presidential advisor

Finally, let me ask you, as a business owner, one question that will stay with you.

"If, starting tomorrow, only 'one type' of product from your company could be chosen by the world, which product would you stake your company's life on?"

There is no need to be greedy and try to do everything. Precisely when the times are dancing in complexity, we should simply and sincerely return to the origin of our own "story (STORY)."

If you are ever lost regarding your strategy for the second half of the year, come back to this coworking space to talk anytime. Now, the front lines are waiting for us today. Let's sweat together.

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