by carterjmrn | Jan 20, 2012 | Japan Mega Trends
Given that the market for luxury in Japan has been shrinking in recent years, Hankyu’s decision to double down by opening a luxury emporium exclusively for men seems like a bold one. Giving a new meaning to the word “metrosexual,” the Hankyu Men’s store is located in...
by carterjmrn | Oct 19, 2011 | Japan Market Entry
Luxury brands are one of the most interesting of all consumer products here, since the Japanese have long prized them, and indeed, still hold the title as “biggest spenders luxury brands in the world.” Although China is catching up fast and is expected to surpass...
by carterjmrn | Aug 15, 2011 | Uncategorized
Two recent high-profile information security breaches — Sony and U.S. marketing firm Epsilon — have once again highlighted the critical importance of information security. Each of these incidents were called “perhaps the largest and/or worst information leaks in...
by carterjmrn | Aug 8, 2011 | Uncategorized
Two recent high-profile data breaches — at Sony Corp. and U.S. marketing firm Epsilon — have once again highlighted the critical importance of information security. Each of these incidents was referred to as the largest and/ or worst information leak in history and...
by carterjmrn | Jun 6, 2011 | market-research-blog
At the beginning of this year, I predicted a “perfect marketing storm” in terms of the rapid evolution of both sales/distribution channels and consumer communications channels, requiring companies in Japan — whether foreign or domestic — to work even harder than...
by carterjmrn | May 2, 2011 | Uncategorized
I am filled with hope as I watch literally everyone I know scrambling to find ways to contribute to the rebuilding of the Tohoku region in this post-quake period. Indeed, it is difficult to think of anything else these days. Almost on a daily basis, we hear stories of...
by carterjmrn | Mar 28, 2011 | Uncategorized
On March 13th, 2011, I sorrowfully opened a folder on my laptop called “earthquake.” One week later, it is as full of documents, links and other data as any one of my complicated market research projects. It is difficult to think of anything else, even for those of us...
by carterjmrn | Dec 6, 2010 | Carter Group Viewpoints
Japan is without a doubt the hottest consumer laboratory in the world for consumer connectivity. Looking at “mobile” subscribers, there are some 69 million subscribers using mobile data services, making mobile Internet penetration in Japan more than twice that of the...
by carterjmrn | Nov 1, 2010 | Uncategorized
I’ve always chuckled at the way Japan seems to think it is the only place in the world that actually has “4 seasons,” and the news reporting about the ups and downs of sales related to the seasons always awakens my inner marketing cynic. On the other hand, this past...