Reducing Carbon Footprint and Ad Waste: How Hana-cupid is Building a Sustainable Future

Company Name: Hana-cupid Co., Ltd.
Industry: E-commerce / Floral Gifts

A subsidiary of the JFTD Group, Hana-cupid Co., Ltd. operates one of Japan’s largest flower e-commerce platforms, connecting a nationwide network of approximately 4,000 florist shops. Their unique model eliminates the need for long-distance transport such as air freight by routing each order to the member florist located closest to the recipient.

Business Objective:
This “local delivery” system not only speeds up fulfillment but also significantly reduces environmental impact. From April 2024 to March 2025, Hana-cupid reduced approximately 121 tons of CO₂ emissions. The company’s goal is to provide a sustainable gifting experience while expanding its customer base through digital marketing.

The Challenge: A “Black Box” of Wasted Spend and Brand Risk

For Hana-cupid, digital advertising is essential for acquiring new customers in the gift market, where repeat purchases are not guaranteed. However, Mr. Ohashi, who oversees the EC business, increasingly struggled with the “black box” nature of ad fraud.

“I knew ad fraud existed,” Mr. Ohashi explains. “As a user, you sometimes see ads shown in places that feel ‘off.’ I knew it was happening, but I didn’t know how to counter it. That was the most frustrating part.”

The team faced three major issues:

1. Lack of Visibility: Standard reporting showed placements but could not reveal the true extent of fraudulent activity.
   
   
2. Operational Limitations: Manually reviewing every placement each day was unrealistic.
   
   
3. Inability to Act: Even when the team suspected bad traffic, they lacked concrete proof needed to block it without risking legitimate impressions.

“As a single EC site, this was a very difficult problem to solve,” says Mr. Ohashi. “We had no way to confidently judge, ‘This is fraud.’”

Why Spider AF?

Hana-cupid first encountered Spider Labs at a conference and decided to run a trial.

Why They Chose Spider AF:

• Data-Driven Validation: Having studied ad fraud beforehand, Mr. Ohashi found Spider AF’s explanations logical and evidence-based rather than vague.
  
  
• Clear Visualization of Damage: The trial revealed that the scale of fraud was far greater than expected.

“When I saw the trial results, I was honestly surprised. ‘So it really was happening to this extent,’” Mr. Ohashi recalls. “Seeing the actual damage made internal decision-making smooth.”

Results & Impact

After implementation, Hana-cupid turned its “hunch” about ad fraud into measurable savings and stronger protection.

Quantifiable Outcomes

• Reduced High-Cost Fraud: The ad fraud rate dropped noticeably, especially in high-CPC search ads. This directly reduced financial loss.
  
  
• Detection of Overseas Threats: Spider AF identified unnatural traffic originating abroad, insights the team would never have discovered on their own.
  
  
• Faster Performance Improvements: “After we started blocking, we felt the difference immediately,” says Mr. Ohashi. “Invisible problems became visible, which led to improvement.”
  
  

Additional Benefits: Brand Protection and Industry Stewardship

Beyond cost savings, Hana-cupid sees ad fraud prevention as essential for both brand integrity and industry health. Ads displayed in suspicious environments, Mr. Ohashi notes, can erode user trust.

Long-Term Strategy:
By taking control of ad placement quality, Hana-cupid aligns with government guidance on advertiser responsibility. Mr. Ohashi emphasizes that relying solely on media platforms is not enough. Advertisers themselves must act to prevent the deterioration of the web advertising environment.

“If we move only with the short-term mindset of ‘as long as it sells,’ consumers will leave,” he warns. “We believe continuing these measures has social significance.”

Future Plans

Hana-cupid aims to use marketing to help people rediscover the value and joy of gifting flowers. To support this vision, the company is committed to “correct marketing” and contributing to a cleaner, more trustworthy digital advertising ecosystem.

Industry Leadership:

“As a leading company in the flower industry, I want to take the initiative in ad fraud measures,” says Mr. Ohashi. “We want to have a positive influence not only on our own business but on the entire industry.”

By eliminating waste in both its physical delivery network and its digital marketing, Hana-cupid is proving that efficiency, ethics, and sustainability can work hand in hand.