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Japan’s eCommerce market is shifting toward mobile-first, with smartphones becoming the main way people shop online. The country’s mobile usage has grown over 40% and will continue as more Japanese consumers choose to shop on their phones. Thus, keeping up with Japan’s eCommerce mobile trends is essential for businesses to stay competitive.
If shoppers find it hard to browse or buy on their smartphones, they are more likely to leave, which directly impacts traffic, engagement, and sales. Instead of simply shrinking desktop sites to fit smaller screens, businesses must focus on mobile-friendly designs that work smoothly on all devices.
This articles explores how adopting a mobile-first strategy offers a better shopping experience, keep customers engaged, and drive sales growth in Japan’s ever-changing market.
Understanding Japan's Mobile-First Market
Japan boasts one of the highest smartphone penetration rates globally, with over 70% of its population—more than 120 million people—using smartphones in 2023. This figure is expected to rise to nearly 80% by 2028.
According to Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, more than 75% of individuals, particularly those aged 20 to 50, access the internet via smartphones. In tandem with this growth in smartphone adoption, Japan’s mobile commerce market is around 6.7 trillion yen—almost three times its size a decade ago.
A recent marketing survey of 1,000 men and women aged 20 to 60 found that 71% of Japanese consumers use smartphones for online shopping. This trend is particularly strong among women, with two out of three Japanese women in their 30s and 40s using smartphones for online shopping.
However, despite mobile commerce accounting for over half of Japan’s B2C eCommerce sales, Japanese consumers remain among the least active mobile shoppers in the Asia-Pacific region. A significant 41% of purchases are still made on personal computers, largely due to factors such as Japan’s aging population, which tends to be reluctant to utilize smartphones. Still, according to Think With Google, 30% of smartphone users in Japan prefer a company’s mobile site over a dedicated app. This preference stems from several practical reasons.
First, mobile sites provide immediate access without the need for installation, which can be a barrier for users who want a quick shopping experience. Moreover, for those making a one-time purchase, mobile sites offer a streamlined and efficient way to complete transactions without the commitment of downloading an app. Over 50% of Japanese consumers avoid downloading shopping apps altogether.
Lastly, many users find that mobile sites offer all the necessary functionalities for browsing and purchasing. Familiarity plays a role, too; navigating a mobile site may feel more intuitive for users who aren’t frequent app users.
Why Mobile Optimization Matters for eCommerce Businesses in Japan
Given the insights above, businesses in Japan should prioritize a mobile-first eCommerce site. With already low penetration rates for mobile shopping, it’s important to provide a seamless and easy-to-navigate shopping experience. A mobile-first eCommerce site not only caters to those consumers who already prefer browsing and shopping on mobile but also makes the experience easier and more appealing for those who may not typically shop on their phones.
Expanded Audience Reach
A mobile-first website is responsive, displaying well on both desktop and mobile devices. This ensures a consistent user experience and maintains a unified image of your company, products, and brand. In Japan, where many consumers primarily browse the internet on smartphones, a mobile-first design makes it easy to find information, load pages quickly, and complete purchases, helping reduce cart abandonment and increase sales.
Young, tech-savvy shoppers in Japan expect intuitive, user-friendly interfaces and prioritize speed and convenience, making fast load times and streamlined checkouts essential for conversions. They also value personalization, social media integration, and visually engaging content, which can further encourage impulse purchases when integrated effectively into a mobile-first strategy.
Higher Mobile Conversion Rates
Japanese mobile users highly value simplicity, convenience, and speed in their interactions with mobile technology. This aligns with Japan’s broader cultural focus on punctuality and efficiency in daily life, where fast and simple interactions help users manage tasks with minimal hassle—all of which should be reflected in the payment process to minimize cart abandonment.
A responsive design makes websites easy to use on any device and keeps everything under one URL, making it simple to share links on social media. This improves the user experience, keeps them on the site longer, and increases the chances they’ll come back.
Moreover, Think With Google research shows a mobile-friendly site not only enriches user experience but also impacts conversions—a one-second delay in load time can reduce conversions by 20%.
Enhanced User Experience
User experience (UX) is crucial in Japanese eCommerce because shoppers desire smooth and enjoyable online interactions. The era where a good product could sell itself is over; it’s increasingly difficult to differentiate based solely on product quality. Thus, a proper UX can make all the difference. Slow load times or complex inputs frustrate users, especially among older demographics who may struggle with cluttered interfaces or confusing navigation, driving them to prefer desktop shopping.
To make websites accessible and visually appealing on all devices, businesses should include mobile-friendly features, such as:
- Responsive Design: The layout automatically adjusts to fit various device sizes.
- Large Tap Targets: Buttons and links should be large enough to prevent accidental taps.
- Concise Content: Since mobile users often have limited time, keep content brief and focused.
- Fast Load Times: Optimize designs and images to improve loading speeds, as mobile users may experience slower connections.
As smartphone usage rises, businesses must create engaging shopping experiences with clear navigation, quick payment options, and personalized product suggestions to stand out in a crowded market. With more consumers in Japan shopping on mobile devices, websites must perform well on phones; otherwise, users may choose competitors that deliver better experiences.
Moreover, Japanese consumers, particularly in urban areas, typically have long commutes, with around 90% of commuters using their phones for browsing and social media. This makes the on-the-go user experience vital, as it allows brands to capture attention during these moments. Prioritizing convenience and quick access to information fosters user interaction and brand loyalty. By catering to the immediate needs of on-the-go users, eCommerce businesses can enhance customer satisfaction and drive increased sales in today’s fast-paced digital landscape.
Increased Customer Engagement
User-friendly interfaces and intuitive controls help users reach their goals easily, leading to greater satisfaction and long-term loyalty. On the other hand, poor design and confusing navigation can frustrate users, causing them to leave the site. That’s why improving user experience is important for keeping customers engaged.
Implementing mobile-first features not only increases customer engagement but can improve search engine rankings, as Google prioritizes mobile-friendly sites in search results. Additionally, integrating mobile apps and notifications allows businesses to send personalized information directly to users’ smartphones and tablets.
Key Mobile Commerce Trends in Japan
The Rise of Mobile Payments
The rise of diverse payment methods has improved the convenience and customer satisfaction of eCommerce sites. According to a 2022 survey by JACCS Payment Solutions, over 60% of customers abandon their carts if their preferred payment option is unavailable. While credit cards remain a popular choice, many users either do not have credit cards or prefer alternatives for various reasons.
Businesses should offer both credit card payments and alternative options like mobile payments to cater to different lifestyles and preferences. By providing payment methods that work seamlessly both online and in physical stores, along with options that allow customers to pay later, businesses can attract new customers, enhance the online shopping experience, and reduce shopping cart abandonment.
QR Code Payments Adoption
While QR code payments through smartphone apps are becoming more popular, this growth has highlighted the slower development of traditional payment methods like credit cards and bank transfers. Credit cards still play an important role in cashless transactions in Japan, accounting for over 80% of cashless payments in 2023. However, QR code payments have quickly gained traction and are now the most widely used cashless payment option in convenience stores.
A recent survey by MMD Research Institute found that 72.8% of smartphone users in Japan utilize QR and barcode payments. Since 2022, QR code payments have surpassed electronic money usage and continue to rise. PayPay leads in popularity, followed by Rakuten Pay and d Pay.
The rapid adoption of QR code payments is driven by effective marketing from companies like PayPay and low setup costs for businesses. Initially, there was skepticism about QR codes due to security concerns, as electronic money was already popular, but today there is potential for QR code payments to grow even further in Japan.
Shift Toward Mobile-First Shopping Experiences
Businesses are increasingly adopting a mobile-first approach in website and app design, prioritizing fast loading times, intuitive navigation, and touch-friendly interfaces. Many also use engaging animated intros and splash pages to highlight products, blending functionality with visual appeal to capture users’ attention right from the start.
For example, Suntory’s Horoyoi page is a visually striking layout that works beautifully on both mobile and desktop. Bold text and vibrant images showcase the product and brand, encouraging visitors to explore each flavor. Similarly, United Arrows presents a savvy portfolio that looks excellent across devices, offering users one-tap access to the latest catalog and a seamless transition to detailed product pages and easy checkout, making the shopping experience quick and enjoyable.
Botanist, an organic shampoo brand, employs a fast, visually rich layout with large, bold text and appealing images to convey its mission, ingredients, and autumn lineup, guiding users effortlessly to online purchase options in just a few taps.
Meanwhile, voice search and augmented reality (AR) are adding new layers to mobile-first sites. For instance, Amazon Japan and Nitori use AR to help customers see how furniture will look in their homes, making the shopping experience more interactive and personalized.
Growth of Mobile Shopping Apps
According to Adjust, a mobile app measurement and analytics tool provider, shopping app installs in Japan surged by 61% in the first half of 2024 compared to the previous year. Additionally, installs for eCommerce apps increased by 25%, and user sessions rose by 13%.
Naoki Sasa, General Manager of Japan at Adjust, believes that apps are at the forefront of innovation in the mobile market. While users often prefer mobile websites to dedicated store apps, they are more likely to engage with apps that offer promotions and rewards points. Additionally, specific times and events have a significant impact on consumer behavior and spending within apps.
Adjust’s research shows that 44% of consumers plan to start their holiday shopping in October or earlier. Data from Adjust indicates that shopping app installs in 2023 were 40% higher than the daily average in mid-October.
How to Optimize Your eCommerce Store for Japan’s Mobile Market
Here are some strategies for optimizing your eCommerce site to prioritize a mobile-first approach in Japan.
Prioritize Mobile Payment Options
Ensure compatibility with popular Japanese payment methods like PayPay, Rakuten Pay, and d Barai. Most payment apps facilitate QR code checkout, making transactions quick and convenient. If your products are available on external platforms like Amazon Japan, it’s essential to provide a seamless and hassle-free path to checkout for customers.
One simple approach is to use a payment gateway like KOMOJU, which integrates multiple payment options into your website. This allows eCommerce owners to focus on managing their site and business while simplifying the payment process for both themselves and their customers
Ensure Mobile-Responsive Design
Responsive design ensures your website looks great on any device—PC, smartphone, or tablet—without needing separate pages for each one. This not only enhances user experience but can also improve your SEO since Google favors mobile-friendly sites.
Creating a responsive website doesn’t have to be complicated, but it does require backend knowledge. Here are two examples:
- Add a Meta Viewport Tag: This code snippet in your website’s header helps adjust your site’s layout automatically based on the device. It’s like telling your website to resize for any screen.
- Use Media Queries: These instructions adjust your site’s layout, text size, and images depending on the screen size. Easy-to-follow examples are available online to help you implement this.
While these methods are effective, achieving a polished design may require professional help. A web designer can make your site look good and function smoothly.
Improve Mobile Load Speed
Site speed optimization is often overlooked in marketing strategies due to the difficulty in measuring its impact. Unlike more visible changes, such as content or navigation improvements, it’s hard to quantify how much faster loading times contribute to conversions. But the truth is every second counts. According to Google, 53% of users will abandon a page if it takes longer than three seconds to load.
Below are just some of the methods you can use to optimize your site:
- Use Browser Cache: Mobile browsers also cache resources, so returning users can enjoy faster loading times without re-downloading images, scripts, and styles.
- Minify HTML, CSS, and JavaScript: Reducing file sizes is crucial on mobile, where slower connections may hinder performance. Minified code helps ensure faster loading, which is essential for mobile users.
- Optimize Images: Mobile devices benefit from optimized images, as smaller file sizes reduce data usage and speed up load times, enhancing the mobile user experience.
- Eliminate Render-Blocking JavaScript: Mobile devices often have limited processing power. Reducing render-blocking scripts allows content to load quickly, making your site more user-friendly on smartphones and tablets.
- Avoid Redirects: Reducing redirects is especially important for mobile, as it can drastically cut down on loading times, which is vital for users with slower internet connections.
Incorporate Mobile-Specific Features
Japanese consumers are highly receptive to mobile marketing strategies, particularly push notifications. Companies frequently utilize these alerts to inform users about limited-time offers, seasonal discounts, and exclusive deals that drive immediate purchases.
Likewise, loyalty programs and point systems are also deeply ingrained in Japanese culture. Many business apps allow users to accumulate points on their purchases, which can be redeemed for discounts or special promotions, enhancing customer engagement and loyalty.
Use Localized Content for Mobile Users
When optimizing for mobile users in Japan, it’s crucial to focus on more than just fast load times and technical performance—localized content is also crucial.
Using a .jp domain can enhance trust among Japanese consumers, signaling a local presence. Your website should also provide both Japanese and English language options, with the Japanese version displayed first. This approach ensures that local users feel prioritized and simplifies navigation for them.
Additionally, while it may seem obvious, prices should always be presented in Japanese yen to align with local currency preferences and facilitate a smoother purchasing process.
Summary
Japan is embracing mobile-first strategies as smartphones become consumers’ primary shopping tools. With over 70% of the population using smartphones, businesses that neglect mobile optimization risk falling behind.
A mobile-friendly website is crucial for a better shopping experience. It should have a responsive design, fast load times, and easy navigation to keep users engaged and reduce cart abandonment. Moreover, diverse payment options, including mobile payments and QR codes, will align with consumer preferences.
The shift towards mobile shopping is an opportunity. Brands that adapt swiftly will find themselves not just surviving but leading the charge.
FAQs
As of the latest data, the leading mobile payment apps in Japan by usage rates are:
- PayPay: 51%
- Rakuten Pay: 23%
- dbarai: 18%
- au PAY: 12%
- Merpay: 9%
- FamiPay: 7%
- LINE Pay: 6%
In Japan, one in four shoppers abandon a website entirely due to limited payment options. A survey conducted in August 2023 revealed that nearly 48.7% of consumers are willing to switch to another payment method if their preferred option is unavailable.
Integrating mobile payments in Japan can be complex due to the need for contracts with multiple mobile payment operators. Merchants also face challenges in monitoring payment statuses and managing cancellations.
This is why partnering with a payment agency like KOMOJU can be beneficial. KOMOJU simplifies the integration of mobile payments by managing transactions with various operators on behalf of the merchant. This allows businesses to consolidate their payment operations, reducing the administrative burden.
We help businesses accept payments online.
