Inbound Marketing in Action: The Front Lines [2]So Different! The Diverse Shopping Habits of Inbound Tourists That Can't Be Generalized
The Travelers' Journey Team
Dentsu Inc.
The inbound business continues to accelerate. In this series, experts and Dentsu Inc.'s Inbound Business Solutions Development Team explore the current landscape from multiple angles and offer insights for tomorrow.
Part 3 presents a digest of the results from the "Shopping Survey of Inbound Tourists" conducted by Dentsu Inc.'s "Travelers' Journey" team, broken down by region. To understand the actual spending patterns of inbound tourists, the survey thoroughly examined the products purchased, places of purchase, and media contacted by tourists from China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and South Korea, segmented by region. This revealed realities that were not apparent when grouping all tourists from Asia together.
Armed with shopping lists, they embark on determined shopping sprees
Visitors from China are characterized by their frequent use of group tours and individual package tours. Furthermore, since about half of these travelers are visiting Japan for the first time, they frequently visit famous spots in Tokyo like Ginza and Tokyo Skytree.
Their shopping expenditure in Japan topped the four surveyed countries/regions, averaging about ¥270,000 per person. Notably, "cameras/video cameras" accounted for over 50% of purchases. Over 70% bought some kind of home appliance, suggesting travelers deliberately choose Japan for purchases—reflecting high trust in buying "at Japan."
Approximately one in ten of these tourists spent over ¥500,000 on shopping in Japan. Seeing this astonishing figure makes the much-discussed phenomenon of "baku-gai" (explosive buying) understandable.
Because they're seasoned repeat travelers, they venture beyond Tokyo.
A travel style focused on experiencing Japanese culture
Hong Kong visitors to Japan predominantly travel independently, with three out of four being repeat visitors. Moreover, travelers visiting Japan three or more times account for over half of the total, making them seasoned Japan travelers. Due to accessibility and the fact that they are visiting multiple times, they also travel to Kansai and Kyushu more frequently compared to other countries/regions.
Their average spending on shopping in Japan is approximately ¥110,000 per person, ranking second among the four surveyed countries/regions (though roughly half that of top-ranked China). Notable in the shopping rankings is that four of the top ten items—T-shirts/knit tops, shoes, socks, and shirts/dress shirts—fall under the fashion category. Half of these visitors purchase some form of clothing or footwear.
Given their frequent visits to Japan, it is thought they enjoy small purchases for themselves rather than making large purchases.
That product everyone's talking about—perfect as a souvenir.
Make sure to hit all the spots everyone knows
While group tour visitors make up about 40% of the total—the highest among the four surveyed countries/regions—Taiwan also has many repeat visitors to Japan. Furthermore, since visiting Japan with family or relatives is the mainstream pattern, they frequently tour classic tourist spots like Tokyo Skytree and Sensoji Temple.
Their shopping expenditure in Japan is relatively low at about ¥70,000 per person. The top shopping item for these Taiwanese visitors is "sweets." It's likely they purchase popular Japanese sweets, which are also highly sought after in Taiwan, for themselves or as souvenirs during their visit.
Another characteristic is the purchase of pharmaceuticals like "stomach medicine" and "cold medicine." Roughly 60% of visitors purchased some form of medicine. Many had decided to buy these items before arriving in Japan, with word-of-mouth being the top source of information. This suggests positive word-of-mouth about Japanese pharmaceuticals is widespread within Taiwan.
Is Japan now just domestic travel?
Beer and snacks you can easily buy as souvenirs.
About 70% of Korean visitors are repeat travelers to Japan, the second-highest proportion after Hong Kong. Individual package tours and self-arranged travel are mainstream, accounting for 80% of the total. Popular destinations include Tokyo staples like Shinjuku, Shibuya, and Harajuku, as well as Kyushu due to its accessibility.
Per capita shopping expenditure is approximately ¥90,000. Their preferred purchase is "beer." Roughly one in two buys it, significantly higher than other surveyed areas (the second-highest for beer is Taiwan at 29.8%). This trend likely stems from the recent popularity of Japanese beer in South Korea. The ability to enjoy authentic taste at reasonable prices makes it a popular purchase item during visits to Japan. Purchases of stationery items like "ballpoint pens" are also notable, with about half buying some form of stationery. This score ranks highest among the four countries/regions surveyed.
<Overview of Shopping Survey for Inbound Tourists>
・Purpose: To understand the actual consumption activities related to "shopping" overall, including the products purchased, places of purchase, and media exposure among inbound tourists
・Target Areas: Five East Asian regions (Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea)
・Survey Method: Online survey
・Respondent Criteria: Men and women aged 20-59 who "traveled to Japan within the past year" and whose "purpose of visit was non-business"
・Sample Size: 400 respondents per region, 2,000 respondents total
・Survey Period: Tuesday, March 10, 2015 to Wednesday, March 18, 2015
From the Travelers' Journey Team
This survey revealed distinct ways of enjoying travel to Japan by area, based on differences in prior visit experience and travel purpose.
Regarding shopping in Japan, a high percentage of visitors decide what to purchase in advance. To capture the "spending spree" phenomenon, approaching consumers before their trip to Japan is also a key factor.
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Author
The Travelers' Journey Team
Dentsu Inc.
A specialized unit within Dentsu Inc.'s cross-functional "Team Cool Japan" project dedicated to the tourism sector. Composed of members from the Marketing Solutions Bureau.