A new comScore study has been released which puts the Japanese at the forefront of online shopping.
The study reports that a phenomenal 86 per cent of the East Asian nation’s population of internet users visit e-retail sites, putting it 9 per cent ahead of the next top country.
With more than 73.6m people enjoying internet access, this makes an online consumer market of around 62.8m for e-retailers to tap into.
Interestingly, Japan’s online audience tends to be older than the global average, with only 34 per cent of Internet users below 35 years of age and twice the global average of users above 55 years.
This presents an exciting opportunity for retailers of high-end premium products, as these have greater appeal to an older consumer base who are also likely to enjoy greater income.
The study also found out that comparison shopping websites are drawing large Japanese audiences, where the category is led by Amazon, Rakuten and Yahoo.
ComScore has stated that businesses should utilise this information as they face an increasingly competitive environment to monitor consumer purchasing habits and deliver them with the products they want in the desired format.
