Search - consumer-behavior

 
 
BUSINESS / Economy / Longform
May 24, 2021

How COVID-19 is altering consumer behavior in Japan

The coronavirus has changed the way we all shop, but which habits are likely to stay with us when the pandemic subsides?
BUSINESS
Apr 28, 2007

Improving consumer lifestyle choices key to meeting CO2 goals

Consumer behavior holds the key to Japan's ability to fulfill its commitments under the 1997 Kyoto Protocol to fight global warming, as rising greenhouse gas emissions in the household and transport sectors make it increasingly hard to achieve the nation's goals, said participants in a recent symposium...
Japan Times
WORLD
Oct 24, 2018

Alibaba harnesses vast trove of shoppers' data to create 'spicy' Snickers bar

Brands spend hundreds of millions of dollars each year trying to figure out what consumers want.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 13, 2021

The stickiness of pandemic-driven economic behavior

In a survey of 5,000 full-time employees in nine countries, 52% said they would like a hybrid remote-work plan in the future, a 22-percentage-point increase compared to before the pandemic.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 5, 2015

Toronto traffic validates carbon tax opposition

For opponents of a carbon tax, traffic in the Greater Toronto Area, which includes fast-growing suburbs, offers plenty of ammunition.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 24, 2020

Takeda to sell consumer unit to Blackstone for ¥242 billion

Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. agreed to sell its Japanese consumer health care business for ¥242 billion ($2.3 billion) to Blackstone Group Inc., which plans to take the over-the-counter medication unit public in about five years.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Dec 3, 2018

Japan hesitantly moves toward a cashless society

Taking out a wallet loaded with cash, receipts and loyalty cards and searching for coins in front of a cashier is a familiar scene at stores in Japan.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy / Longform
Nov 22, 2021

Deflation generation: Japan’s budget-minded consumers keep price hikes in check

Decades of stagnant wages and low prices have ingrained a “deflationary mindset” into shoppers who are hesitant to spend more, thwarting policymakers' efforts to fan inflation.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 14, 2016

'Safety net' needed to get young consumers to spend more: economist

Kazuhisa Takemura has an idea for helping Japan's struggling economy: Entice younger consumers to spend more by providing them a financial and emotional cushion.
EDITORIALS
Aug 21, 2016

Engel's coefficient rising in Japan

People are spending more on food, which means they are using less of their money in other areas — thereby reducing overall consumer spending.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Jul 23, 2013

Obama's toughest campaign yet: selling health care reform

Deep inside the White House, in a bare room that the chief of staff uses for meetings, David Simas is still thinking about turnout.
BUSINESS
Feb 28, 2000

E-consumers' habits reveal low-tech solution to recession

Major supermarket operator Nagasakiya Co. has just gone bankrupt, and reports say many department stores are taking heavy losses.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Taking the Lead
Oct 1, 2017

Online research firm aims to break Japanese mold with global market quest

Market analysts say Japanese internet firms rarely succeed overseas, and there haven't been many who have proven them wrong so far.
EDITORIALS
Oct 7, 2014

A resurgent U.S. economy

The U.S. economy is posting the strongest growth since the end of 2011, outpacing the forecasts and confounding experts who saw a country that had lost its vitality.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 20, 2011

Family ties spur spending sprees

Hiromi Komatsu is hitting Tokyo department stores in search of Christmas presents this year for the first time in her life, as she prepares for a rare visit by family members for the holiday season.
JAPAN
Dec 31, 1999

Another Century: Pollution legacy may linger

This is the first installment in a yearlong series on the blueprints of Japanese society in the 21st century. Staff writer Japan's beaches may be little more than a memory when the end of the 21st century rolls around. Conservative estimates predict it will be sayonara for about half of them, while...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 13, 2015

Retailers warn of dismal spending; sales tax hike seen stifling demand

Do not believe in official statistics, Japanese retailers seem to be saying, as they cut earnings forecasts and warn of lackluster consumer spending, a key growth engine for Japan at a time when exports and factory output are stalling.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
May 26, 2021

Japanese firms double down on online sales in China amid tourism halt

Demand for Japanese cosmetics is rising as Chinese consumers unable to travel abroad accelerate purchases on e-commerce platforms.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 26, 2002

Snow seeks public trust via appointment of consumer guru

With many Japanese companies having finally recognized the importance of beefing up their corporate governance, Snow Brand Milk Products Co. is eager to show it is no exception to this trend.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 13, 2023

Japan’s sticky inflation is key to a long-lasting bull market

Investors are hoping that under inflation, companies will be able to raise prices without encountering too much pushback from customers.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 16, 2020

Japan’s ¥73.6 trillion stimulus hinges on spending by older generation

People over the age of 65 make up 29% of the population and account for almost 40% of the consumer spending that is the biggest driver of Japan's economy.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 10, 2020

Virus pandemic pushes Japan’s shoppers to finally buy online

Now that the government is urging consumers and businesses to step up efforts to contain the coronavirus outbreak, shoppers may finally have no excuse but to embrace e-commerce and wean themselves from brick-and-mortar stores.
A store clerk tries to cool things down in front of their shop by spraying a hose.
BUSINESS / Economy / Longform
Aug 26, 2024

Is extreme weather changing the way Japan shops?

Intense heat and an increase in storms, by-products of a changing climate, are altering consumer behavior.
Visitors take photos of a tunnel of roses at Yokohama English Garden on Wednesday in Yokohama.
JAPAN / Society
Jul 18, 2024

Japan’s summer travel spending soars despite economic pressures

Households plan to spend the most in six years this summer as more people aim to travel despite rising inflation and a weakening yen.
An installation for The North Face Moon Parka, which uses a Spiber-produced protein material
ENVIRONMENT / Sustainability / OUR PLANET
Aug 6, 2023

A Japanese startup is using biotech to ‘brew’ greener fashion

Fashion has a huge environmental impact, and Spiber thinks its products can help curb the industry's footprint.
There are now more than a dozen apps aimed at helping users keep tabs on their individual emissions.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Aug 12, 2024

Steps, calories … CO2? Emissions-tracking apps are on the rise

Carbon-tracking services walk a fine line between highlighting purchase emissions and suggesting individuals alone can solve the problem of climate change.
Service prices, a key component of Japan’s inflation data, may be sturdier than in the past.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 23, 2024

Steady and widening service price rises may spur BOJ’s next move

Service prices, a key component of Japan’s inflation data, may be sturdier than in the past.
The U.S. Capitol in Washington. Congress is struggling to pass a short-term spending bill needed to keep the government open past the new fiscal year beginning Oct. 1.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 29, 2023

Missing economic data will test alternatives in U.S. shutdown

Nongovernment measures are seen as less reliable than Bureau of Labor Statistics, Census Bureau and Bureau of Economic Analysis releases.

Longform

Yasuyuki Yoshida stirs a brew in a fermentation tank at his brewery in Hakusan.
The quake that shook Noto's sake brewing tradition