What the numbers say
: 60.4% of Japanese consumers used desktop computers to do their online shopping in 2017. This figure fell to 52.6% in 2022. The share of Japanese consumers who shop online on mobile devices grew from 39.6% to 47.4% over the same period.
Relevance: Mobile e-commerce is establishing a dominant position in markets across the globe. Research and Markets estimated that mobile e-commerce exceeded 50% of all global e-commerce sales in 2021. However, global trends are not always reflected in regional markets. In Japan, the shift to mobile e-commerce is occurring more gradually. Most Japanese online shoppers will still use desktops for e-commerce in 2027. Notably, e-commerce conversion rates are not identical across devices and tend to be lower for mobile e-commerce.
Brands that should care: Online retailers could consider opening or expanding operations to Japan to take advantage of the relatively high share of Japanese online consumers who do not shop through mobiles. It is possible that this attribute of the Japanese e-commerce market may result in a higher conversion rate relative to other countries.