Japan

In 2023, skin care continued to see current value growth in Japan due to the ongoing increase in awareness of self-care. In addition, from April 2023, all travellers entering Japan on direct flights from China were no longer required to present a…

Although sales of deodorants did not return to the pre-pandemic (2019) level in Japan in 2023, the category saw strong current value growth. The main reasons were that the opportunities for going out increased, the end of mask-wearing increased…

Floor polish is not a standard product for many younger households. It may have been used by older generations, but the custom of polishing the floor with wax products has not been passed down to the younger generations. First, it is very…

Dishwashing saw strong growth in current value terms in 2023. However, in volume terms sales were almost flat between 2022 and 2023. What pushed up value sales was increases in unit prices. Japan had seen nearly three decades of virtual economic…

In 2020 bleach saw an unexpected increase in both volume and current value sales, as COVID-19 hit the country. Some consumers were very concerned about the pandemic, and became especially hygiene-conscious, therefore using bleach to clean their…

Jewellery is set to maintain growth in retail volume and current value terms in 2023, with growth for both costume and fine jewellery, although this will slow compared with previous years. Polarisation has continued in jewellery in Japan in 2023,…

Fragrances registered double-digit current value growth in Japan in 2023. Strong growth was also seen for colour cosmetics, but this was underpinned by the rebound from the pandemic, and it still had a lower level of sales compared with pre-pandemic…

Most categories within surface care saw declines in both retail volume and current value terms in 2023. The explanation for the drop in volume terms is simple – people began to spend more time outside the home. In May 2023, the Japanese government…

Although in 2021 and 2022 depilatories in Japan showed a minor rebound from the pandemic-induced current value decline in 2020, sales did not go back to the 2019 (pre-pandemic) level, and a return to decline was seen in 2023. Depilatories has been…

A typical performance amongst home care categories in Japan in 2023 was that volume sales fell, whilst average unit prices increased, driving up value sales as a result. However, toilet care was a little different. The category saw significant…

In 2023, current value sales of home insecticides in Japan registered positive growth from the previous year; however, volume sales declined. The decline in volume sales can be attributed to the fading of COVID-19. The pandemic had much less of an…

Consumer foodservice continued to see strong recovery in Japan in 2023, posting double-digit growth in current value sales in line with the recovery of flows of consumers after the downgrading of the status of COVID-19. On 8 May 2023, the Japanese…

Retail tissue turned to decline in Japan in volume terms in 2023, although current value growth continued. 2022 and 2023 were years of price increases for the category. For instance, Daio Paper increased the B2C product shipment price by 15% or more…

Air care had been seeing steady growth in value sales in the pre-pandemic years, and in 2020, when the pandemic hit Japan, there was further significant growth. As interest in indoor air quality improved along with much more time spent at home and…

Vending machines have a significant presence in Japan, and have been part of the local culture for decades. Vending is a contactless, unmanned, compact, and convenient way of shopping. Although sales declined during the pandemic, a rebound was seen…

On 8 May 2023, the Japanese government announced that it would reclassify COVID-19 as a class 5 infectious disease, which is the same classification as seasonal flu. This shift pushed consumers in Japan to go back to their pre-COVID-19 behaviours,…

Sun care saw dynamic current value growth in Japan in 2023. At the top level, it was the category with the best growth rate in beauty and personal care. There were several factors which supported growth. One was the increased opportunities for going…

In 2023, price rises were seen across various industries in Japan, impacting the cost of living. During COVID-19, consumers’ eating habits shifted more towards cooking and eating at home. Despite the country gradually returning to the pre-COVID-19…

Retail maintained solid current value growth in Japan in 2023, with increases across both offline and e-commerce. In 2023, offline retail regained stronger momentum due to the return of mobility post-COVID-19. On 8 May 2023, the Japanese government…

Hypermarkets usually sell a wider range of products compared with other types of grocery retailers, such as supermarkets and convenience stores, but may not be as centrally positioned or as favoured for regular visits. Nevertheless, hypermarkets…