What Are the 4 Key Keywords of Changed Japanese Consumer Trends Due to COVID-19?

[Asia Economy Reporter Suyeon Woo] KOTRA announced the report "Changes in Japanese Consumer Trends After COVID-19 and Entry Strategies for Korean Companies" on the 3rd, introducing four key keywords regarding changes in Japanese trends.

In this report, KOTRA presented the trend keywords for the Japanese market, which can be targeted after COVID-19, as 'K Consumer Goods, K Food, K Digital, K Webtoon,' and included specific entry strategies for Korean companies through analysis of successful cases.

Source=KOTRA

Focus on 'K Consumer Goods' Online Methods

According to KOTRA, Japanese consumers who preferred offline consumption before COVID-19 rapidly shifted to online consumption as non-face-to-face interactions became necessary in daily life. The report emphasized that 'K Consumer Goods' also need attempts to connect various platforms such as pop-up stores (temporary stores), social networking services (SNS), and live commerce to overcome the limitations of non-face-to-face marketing. In particular, K cosmetics require a strategy that simultaneously targets offline methods like pop-up stores and entry into e-commerce (EC) platforms.

K Food Incorporates '4th Korean Wave' Marketing with Environmental and Health Values

After COVID-19, interest in environmental and health values and sustainable consumption has increased. For example, with increased plastic waste due to staying at home, consumer interest in environmental issues has grown, and consumption of diet and health foods has increased among people concerned about weight gain and immunity.

Asahi Soft Drinks is gaining consumer support by expanding production of label-free beverages to promote plastic recycling. After COVID-19, K Food is gaining popularity among young women in their teens and twenties through SNS, based on the '4th Korean Wave.' The report advised that detailed information such as recipes to make Korean food, which has a strong healthy food image, should be delivered, and linked product promotion plans should be considered.

K Digital Expands Remote Work and Workation (work+vacation)

The implementation rate of remote work in Japanese companies rose from 9% before the first state of emergency declaration in April-May last year to 20% currently. The 'workation' market, expected to have a population dispersal effect, is projected to grow from 69.9 billion yen (about 707.5 billion KRW) in 2020 to 362.2 billion yen (about 3.6664 trillion KRW) in 2025. In Japan, demand for IT devices for servers, cloud systems, and home office environment setup, as well as solutions for digitalizing work, is expected to surge against the backdrop of expanding remote work.

The report emphasized that from the perspective of 'K Digital,' it is necessary to provide customized packages and comprehensive technical support to small and medium-sized enterprises that find it difficult to adopt remote work, and to accumulate recognition in the Japanese market through thorough localization strategies via cooperation with local partners (sales and after-sales service).

World’s No.1 Japanese Manga Market... Localization of Webtoon Content is Key

With more consumers seeking enjoyment through content at home due to COVID-19, the manga industry's sales growth rate last year (43.1%) showed the largest increase. KOTRA explained that 'K Webtoon' is standing out even in the world’s number one Japanese manga market, and efforts are required to enhance attractiveness as a webtoon platform and secure users through collaboration with leading local publishers.

Son Sudeuk, Director of the Economic and Trade Cooperation Headquarters, said, "It is important to understand changes in Japanese consumer trends after COVID-19," and added, "We will diversify marketing channels so that K-brand products can expand contact points with Japanese consumers."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.