Changing behaviour of Japanese consumers

Abstract

As a result of the economic slowdown of the past five years, the behaviour patterns of the Japanese consumers have changed and are creating new and interesting trends. Fundamental to the changes in consumption patterns of Japanese consumers is the Japanese proverb, “buy cheap, get cheap”, confirming their paramount desire to secure value for money. This paper will examine this change in consumer attitude: in clear contrast to consumers of the economic miracle period, those of the current economic slowdown make purchasing decisions after conducting thorough research. Consequently, in recent years major Japanese manufacturing groups have seen a notable change in consumption patterns for such items as high-end branded products, electrical home appliances, electronic goods, etc. Concurrent with these changing patterns is a relatively strong demand for foreign products, particularly American. Moreover, an increasing number of Japanese “cybercitizens” are obtaining these foreign goods through electronic commerce. Other changes in Japanese consumer culture examined in this paper relate to industries that have had to readjust their marketing strategies to answer the changing demands of Japanese consumers, of which the automobile, food, and entertainment industries serve as specific examples.