Tag: japan

Mobile commerce is blossoming in Japan

| June 11, 2013

Japan sees strong growth in mobile commerce

Mobile commerce is growing quickly in Japan. Consumers in many of the country’s largest cities, such as Tokyo and Osaka, are beginning to favor shopping on their mobile devices. These consumers had already been heavily exposed to e-commerce and the world of online shopping, making the transition to mobile commerce significantly easier. According to the Japanese Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, mobile commerce grew by 16.2% in 2011 and continues to grow as more consumers become comfortable with the notion of purchasing products with their smartphones and tablets.

Fashion sector sees major boost from mobile sales

Mobile commerce has had a dramatic impact on several sectors of the retail industry, but Japan’s fashion sector has been seeing the majority of this impact in recent months. Zozotown, one of the country’s leading fashion retailers specializing in e-commerce, reports that it has seen no less than 40% of its sales come from mobile devices in 2012. Rakutan, another Japanese e-commerce company, notes that 30% of its sales have come through mobile commerce over the same time frame.

Japanese Mobile Commerce - Retail IndustryNew companies showing strong interest in Japanese mobile commerce

The growing proclivity among Japanese consumers when it comes to mobile commerce has lead to something of a surge in mobile commerce applications. Many organizations recognize the growth of mobile commerce in Japan as a powerful opportunity and have been working to introduce new applications and mobile payments platforms to the country in recent months. New capital has lead to the emergence of new startups that aim to be the next big name in mobile commerce and this has lead to a marked increase in the competition that exists in this particular field.

Small companies may be unable to compete with larger companies

While more competition can be good for consumers, it is not necessarily good for businesses. Startup company’s may have high ambitious, but whether or not they will be able to compete with much larger companies that have already established a strong presence in the mobile commerce sector has yet to be seen. So far, consumers appear to favor the platforms supported by larger companies they are more familiar with than those coming from largely unknown organizations.

Japanese publishers showing more love for mobile games

| June 7, 2013

Japan may lead the charge toward mobile games

Japan has long been a hub of activity in the game industry. The country is home to many of the world’s most acclaimed game development studios and publishers and has been a very prominent market for the game industry for years. In many cases, Japan has been the birth place of many of the trends that are being seen in the game industry today and the country may be on the frontlines of a major shift away from traditional gaming platforms toward mobile games.

Metaps reports publishers flocking to mobile games

According to Metaps, an Android monetization platform, a large number of Japanese game publishers are beginning to show strong interest in mobile games. These publishers have been taking note of the rising popularity of these games among consumers with smartphones and tablets. Part of the allure of mobile games has to do with the money that can be found in this sector. Consumers have shown their willingness to spend money on mobile games time and again, which itself has been more than enough encouragement for game developers and publishers to show more interest in the world of mobile games.

Japanese Publishers Love Mobile GamesTrend could spread throughout the world

With Japanese publishers showing such extreme interest in mobile games, a number of new titles for mobile platforms are expected to enter the Japanese market in the near future. This trend may quickly spread to the rest of the world, especially as large publishers, such as Electronic Arts, have already expressed strong interest in mobile games of all kinds. If mobile games continue to grow in popularity among consumers, publishers are likely to begin pressuring developers to begin crafting mobile titles at a faster pace.

Mobile not likely to dethrone consoles

While mobile games are becoming significantly more popular, console games remain the staple of the game industry. Mobile games may eventually cut into the console market, but with a new generation of consoles on the horizon, this is not likely to take place within the next several years. Moreover, console makers are not blind to the opportunities that exist in the mobile space and have been working to make their traditionally stationary console systems more mobile friendly.