Spreading cases of COVID-19 caused Japan to go into a state of emergency for a couple months. While it wasn’t the lockdown seen in other countries, it meant the stop of business-as-usual and more people working from home.

Despite 64% of SMB employees in Japan reporting that they’re not allowed to work remotely, even during the pandemic, it still meant significant changes in consumer behaviors and psychologies. [J]

What consumers in Japan are buying

Purchases experienced slight changes during the end of March and April. Intage, a market research firm, released a study showing which items showed the biggest year-on-year gain during this period.

Most popular items for Japanese consumers to purchase during COVID-19 / Coronavirus -TAMKO

Health/cleaning and cooking/baking items dominated the top 10.

The boom of videotapes is quite unexpected, but it does highlight Japan’s aging population and the need for brands to consider traditional consumer communication channels as well.

At the bottom of the rankings were many cosmetic items due to the decrease in going out.

How consumers in Japan are reacting online

Due to many staying home, brand communications and interactions have shifted online even more.

A survey conducted by Allied Architects in April gave insights into how Japanese consumer sentiment towards corporate social media accounts, their social networks usage, and how they viewed advertising. [J]

Japanese consumer social media frequency change due to COVID-19 / Coronavirus - TAMKO

Which social network Japanese consumer are using more due to COVID-19 / Coronavirus - TAMKO

The social network Japanese consumers’ increased use of the most due to COVID-19 / Coronavirus - TAMKO

Purpose for Japanese consumers to increase usage in social networks during COVID-19 / Coronavirus - TAMKO

Yellow percentages represent the most popular response regarding the purpose of using that social network, light grey represents the second most popular.

Type of content Japanese consumers see more of on social media due to increased frequency of use due to COVID-19 / Coronavirus - TAMKO

Actions that Japanese consumers have taken on social media during COVID-19 / Coronavirus - TAMKO

How Japanese consumers feel about brands advertising during COVID-19 / Coronavirus - TAMKO

If you’re curious as to what some brands in Japan have done in order to help with issues related to COVID-19, you can check out a list here.

How Japanese feel about working remotely

A survey conducted by the Japan Productivity Center showed that the majority of those who were able to work remotely would like to continue being able to do so. However, the majority did feel their work efficiency dropped. [J]

The majority of Japanese who were able to work remotely during COVID-19 would like to continue being able to do so - TAMKO

Most Japanese who were able to work remotely during COVID-19 felt that their work efficiency decreased - TAMKO

As of May 26, 2020, the emergency declaration throughout Japan has been lifted. We do expect, however, that many brands will be looking to change the way they approach sales and communication with customers.

We’ll be watching to see how exactly brands adapt and consumer behaviors change in the longterm.

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