On the front page of its December 2, 2009 issue, the Nikkei Marketing Journal (NMJ) upheld its annual tradition of applauding the products and services that had plucked the purse strings of Japan’s consumers over the previous 12 months, with its famous “banzuke” (a stylized list of sumo ranks) heralding the year’s top hit products and services.
The banzuke’s 39th appearance in this thrice-weekly publication covering retailing and distribution (see A ‘Hitto’ History) will bring PR windfalls for the winners and an encouraging note to the business sector that even in the depths of recession consumers can be convinced to spend.
Keikai Consumption
Eco cars gain momentum
Illustrations by Phil Couzens
The NMJ uses the term “keikai lifestyle” to define consumer trends over the year just ended. When combined in kanji, the two characters in keikai take on the meaning of “nimble” or “lighthearted.” But as the NMJ explains in its lead paragraph, “Both the wallet and on the heart – as well as the burden on the earth – is ‘kei’ (lightened),” thereby making life a little more kai (comfortable).
The report goes on to say, “With no end in sight to the slumping economy, consumers are seeking ways of achieving a lifestyle that encompasses both reduced volume and comfort.”
Reflecting this mixed picture, the NMJ topped its 2009 banzuke with two “Yokozuna” (grand champions). On the East side of the list, “Eco cars” reflected the popularity of Toyota’s hybrid sedan, the Prius, which, along with Honda’s Insight hybrid have led domestic sales. The other Yokozuna was the phenomenal sales of gekiyasu (super-cheap) jeans. After First Retailing’s g.u. brand broke the 1,000 yen barrier, with jeans retailing for 990 yen, prices have continued to drop. And jeans are likely to be just the beginning as sneakers and other products have also been caught up in the deflationary spiral.
As one of its two Ozeki (champions), the NMJ named non-alcohol beers. Kirin moved 3.4 million cases of “Free,” and the market, which appeals to women, the calorie-conscious and drivers, continues to attract products from rival brewers. The other Ozeki was LEDs, which thanks to lower power consumption and longevity are expected to eventually render Mr. Edison’s 130-year-old incandescent bulb obsolete.
Travel to South Korea soars
At Sekiwake (junior champion), the next rank down, were rapid sales growth of low-cost vegetables with non-uniform size or appearance, and Gyoza no Osho, the Kyoto-based Chinese restaurant chain (339 direct and 183 franchises) specializing in gyoza (pot stickers) – a phenomenon that reflects diners’ search of a tasty but low-cost meal – more crudely expressed as yasumeshi banzai (long live cheap meals).
Travel to South Korea boomed by as much as 70 percent over the year before, thanks largely to the yen’s advantageous exchange rate relative to the Korean won. The microblogging service Twitter tweeted successfully in Japanese. And as the more people coughed and groaned, sales soared for swine flu-related goods such as surgical masks and antibacterial hand soaps.
