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Financial data and information services · subsidiary of NTT DOCOMO, INC. (itself wholly owned by Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation, NTT) · Japan

INTAGE Holdings

intage.co.jp ↗

Japanese consumer research firm running retail and panel data, majority owned by NTT DOCOMO.

Defensible for now
Assessed 26 July 2026 · Evidence as of 26 July 2026
Real protection, with named pressure against it.
On the recordSince 26 July 2026 · Checkable from August 2026 · Every call on the record Checkpoint: FY2026 full-year results release, testing whether margin decline continues
The call

Profit is slipping as AI eats into survey and reporting fees, but its Japanese panels and DOCOMO's customer data still give clients a reason to stay.

INTAGE collects shopping and consumer information from Japan and sells insights to companies. It is hard to replace because it has spent 65 years building trusted panels of real shoppers and just gained access to 96 million cell phone users' shopping data through a partnership. The main threat is that artificial intelligence can now do much of what INTAGE does, write reports, design surveys, and organize data, faster and cheaper (a rival called Macromill already cut work time by 40 percent). The company is still making money and has a powerful parent company backing it, but profits are shrinking even though sales are flat, which is a warning sign that AI is eating into its business. What could change everything is whether the company can make real money from its new cell phone data deal with NTT DOCOMO, or if profits keep falling for another two quarters, which would mean AI is taking customers faster than expected.

Why
01
AI pressure: Generative AI tools automating survey design and report writing. AI can now draft surveys, tabulate results, and write reports, squeezing fees for the commodity layer of research work INTAGE still sells. Could AI do the core job? Only partly.
02
Bigger players: None apparent. NielsenIQ, the global player best placed to build a rival Japanese panel, signed a sales partnership with INTAGE in April 2026 instead. Could a giant copy it? No, they are blocked.
03
What protects it. 65 years of proprietary Japanese retail and consumer panels plus exclusive access to NTT DOCOMO's 96 million d POINT Club members.
What would change this call
INTAGE FY2026 full-year results (due ~August 2026) show profit decline for a third straight period. Would show AI is structurally eroding the services layer, not a one-off dip.
Macromill or another domestic rival publicly names an INTAGE client win using an AI-native research product. Would show direct customer loss to AI-driven competitors, not just margin pressure.
INTAGE discloses new revenue tied to the NIQ partnership or DOCOMO d POINT data by FY2027 filings. Would show the data moat is converting into growth, offsetting AI commoditization.
Key numbers
  • 9-month FY2026 profit ¥3.41bn, down from ¥3.78bn (2026-05-07)
  • NTT DOCOMO owns 51% after ¥47.1bn tender offer (2023-10-17)
  • NIQ partnership signed, covers 90+ countries (2026-04-24)
Named risks
  • Generative AI commoditizing survey fielding, tabulation, and report writing across the industry. Severity: high
  • Profit decline for two consecutive periods (3.41bn vs 3.78bn nine month FY2026) with margin compression continuing. Severity: medium
  • Flat-to-negative revenue growth (TTM +0.95 percent, half year revenue down YoY) signaling weak organic demand. Severity: medium
  • Unproven commercial payoff from April 2026 NIQ partnership and 2023 DOCOMO d POINT data alliance after 18plus months. Severity: medium
  • Domestic rival Macromill publicly demonstrating faster AI-driven turnaround that could visibly displace clients. Severity: medium
Rivals, as read in July 2026
RivalDirectionEvidence
NielsenIQcontestingSigned mutual sales partnership with INTAGE on 2026-04-24 rather than building competing Japanese panel, per intage.co.jp
Macromillgaining onClaims 40 percent turnaround cut from generative AI in its Automated Integrated Research product, dated 2026-03-21 (vendor-claimed)
Cross Marketing Inc.contestingCited as third-largest domestic research share holder in Japanese market research literature
KantarcontestingNamed alongside NIQ as a global titan in Japanese market research competitive landscape analysis
Questions people ask
Is INTAGE Holdings profitable in 2026?
Yes but declining. Nine month FY2026 profit attributable to owners was 3.41 billion yen versus 3.78 billion yen the prior year period, per filing dated 2026-05-07, partly due to a 334.6 million yen impairment charge.
Who owns INTAGE Holdings?
NTT DOCOMO owns 51 percent of INTAGE Holdings after completing a tender offer on 2023-10-16 at 2,400 yen per share for about 47.1 billion yen total, making INTAGE a consolidated subsidiary of DOCOMO and ultimately NTT.
Could AI replace INTAGE Holdings' research services?
AI is compressing the commodity layer (fielding, tabulation, reporting), with rival Macromill claiming a 40 percent turnaround cut from generative AI as of 2026-03-21, but INTAGE's proprietary panels since 1960 and exclusive DOCOMO d POINT data access (96 million members, since October 2023) are harder for AI to replicate.
Is INTAGE Holdings' biggest competitor NielsenIQ?
Not anymore in the traditional sense. As of April 24, 2026, INTAGE and NielsenIQ signed a mutual sales partnership to expand retail measurement across Japan and global markets, turning a potential predator relationship into a distribution partnership rather than direct rivalry.
What is INTAGE Holdings' revenue trend in 2026?
Trailing twelve month revenue through the quarter ending March 2026 was about 66.50 billion yen, up just 0.95 percent year on year per stockanalysis.com dated 2026-07-18, while half year revenue to December 2025 was 31.69 billion yen, down from 32.03 billion yen the prior year.
Did INTAGE Holdings sell off any business units recently?
Yes. INTAGE divested its CRO (contract research organization) business, INTAGE Healthcare's CRO unit, to Alfresa Holdings Corporation, with the deal disclosed June 17, 2024 and executed September 2, 2024.
Timeline
  • 2026-05-07Nine month FY2026 profit reported at 3.41 billion yen, down from 3.78 billion yen prior year, with 334.6 million yen impairment
  • 2026-04-24INTAGE and NielsenIQ sign mutual sales partnership for retail measurement across Japan and global markets
  • 2026-02-05Six month net sales to Dec 31, 2025 reported at 31.69 billion yen, down from 32.03 billion yen prior year
  • 2025-10INTAGE VIETNAM LLC launch scheduled to extend overseas panel and data operations
  • 2025-08-08FY2025 (ended June 30, 2025) results filed: net sales 65.57 billion yen, up 3.62 percent, net income about 3.5 billion yen
  • 2024-09-02INTAGE Healthcare CRO business divestment to Alfresa Holdings executed
  • 2024-06-17CRO business divestment to Alfresa Holdings disclosed
  • 2023-10-16NTT DOCOMO completes tender offer, acquiring 51 percent of INTAGE for about 47.1 billion yen
  • 2023-09-06NTT DOCOMO launches public tender offer for INTAGE common stock
  • 2013-10Company adopts INTAGE HOLDINGS Inc. holding company structure
Revision history
26 July 2026
First assessed. Defensible for now. The text above is fixed as of this date and is not edited afterwards.
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