5 Japanese consumer behaviors you need to know

Japanese woman wearing a kimono and holding an umbrella

Customer behavior is one of the most important and often overlooked aspects of understanding your market. The AMA defines consumer behavior as the study of how customers (individuals and organizations) satisfy their needs and wants by choosing, purchasing, using, and disposing of goods, ideas, and services. There are many types of consumer behaviors but today we will be talking about cultural consumer behaviors in Japan. As marketers or those in business, it is crucial to understand cultural buying behaviors as they influence the way one purchases and interacts with certain brands. This is particularly true of Japan where many sales and marketing strategies that may have worked in Western markets, fail due to a lack of good market research. So, I have composed a list of ten must-know cultural behaviors, so you can have better market research and make more informed decisions.

1) Harmony and Consensus

Many people walking down a street in Japan.

Japan is often referred to as a collectivist country. This concept is embodied in the concept of Wa (和) or harmony. This manifests itself in a way that may not seem unique, but underneath is quite different from the West.

As marketers, we try our best to create a brand that is recognizable, and that people talk about, and enjoy. Naturally, the more people talk about your brand the more people become interested, and eventually you make more sales.

In Japan, this concept is even more true. Due to this group-think mentality Japanese people more often rely on word-of-mouth recommendations, online reviews, and reputation. The more this spreads the stronger and more established your brand becomes. This in the eyes of the consumer becomes a brand that they can trust and is reliable and are more likely to do business with you.

You may be thinking nothing new here. The problem is when you try to enter the market it can be a real struggle to outcompete these brands that are established in their mind. Even if you are offering a superior product light-year ahead of the competition. They won’t care. The trust in the brand supersedes the value of the product.

Let’s say even then, you are able to make sales and develop a small market for your products. If you are not actively trying to strengthen your brand, with some of the other concepts in this article, you will hit a plateau and eventually a drop in sales.

Be in the minds of your consumers and build a reliable and trustworthy brand.

2) Omotenashi

Japanese woman and man laughing at a Izakaya.

When you visit Japan one of its striking features is its hospitality and high-quality service. In fact, there is a philosophy behind this desire to deliver selfless service known as Omotenashi (おもてなし). It comes from Sado or Japanese tea ceremony which itself was influenced heavily by Zen Buddhism.

This concept is important as it has permeated deeply into consumer behavior. Someone from the West may walk into a restaurant and think “Wow, the service is incredible and the food amazing.” But when you open up your Google Maps app to save the restaurant, you’ll notice it was only three stars. You’ll think to yourself how could that be? But when you read the reviews it starts to make sense.

You’ll find that the biggest complaint is you guessed it service. In Japan, the expectation for quality service is extremely high. They really pay attention to the details of the service and customer experience. So much so that even the best of products or services will lose out to those that provide a better customer service experience.

It is essential to always deliver high-quality service, respect, and attention to your consumers. This investment will deliver itself long-term, as mentioned in the previous section, you will gain their trust. This may take some time to home in on but once you have developed their trust, they will be longtime customers and loyal to your brand.

Develop and constantly work on building excellent customer service.

3) Aversions to Risk

Frustrated Japanese manager with hands over eyes, while another man speaks.

I’ll illustrate this point with a little story. Japan is well known as a leader in robotics technology. I used to live nearby to one of their largest and most famous research centers. And I remember talking to a friend of mine about the robotics industry in Japan. He told me a joke that has resonated with me until this day. He said, “We are building robots, so we can install more fax machines.”

I know it’s hilarious. But seriously fax machines are still such an integral part of Japanese life. I remember having to send in papers through fax at my local convenience store just to register for internet access.

Why all this talk of fax machines? It’s because Japan’s tendency is to stick to tried-and-true methods and as is the recurring case, brands they trust. There is an aversion to risk and from the outside can often be misunderstood.

For example, you may offer a software service that allows you to mail things via the Internet, we can call it email. Oh wait… This could potentially save the company millions. But what about all of the mechanics they have to repair the fax machine? The IT staff they hired to maintain the software on the fax machines? This becomes a massive issue for the company that has to deal with the paperwork and strong labor laws to lay off all of them. And who’s going to train them all to use this new software? Foreign companies think just lay them off but it’s not so easy for Japanese firms.

In fact, it becomes more of a headache and potentially more money spent to replace these methods than the amount of money they could be saving by switching. If you ever had an interested client, who was about to buy, then bailed out for no apparent reason, this may be one of the reasons why.

It’s important to understand what your client may be having to deal with behind the scenes. To, often companies think they have the solution to their problems and can increase the efficiency of their operations or can upsell new features to existing clients but fail to ignore the added issues they are simultaneously creating for them. This is where communication is key with your Japanese clients.

Listen to them, work with them to deliver what they need even if it’s just the basic plan, and once you’re established in their minds and developed a good relationship, look for opportunities to introduce new products or services.

4) The Four Seasons

Nebuta Festival Float

Where I’m from we only have two seasons summer and summer lite. Japan, we have all four wonderful seasons. In fact, seasonality is something that is baked into the fabric of Japanese culture from its art to its literature and even to everyday conversations of the weather.

Naturally, this affects consumer buying in the country as consumers look to purchase products that fit the changing seasons. The easiest way to picture this is fashion changing from winter fashion to spring fashion.

It can also come in the form of different styling and motifs. Spring usually having Sakura or cherry blossom motifs, with lots of pinks. While autumn may have autumn leaves motifs with browns, reds, and oranges.

You can also capitalize on this to bring limited edition or seasonally restricted products. These have historically performed well in Japanese markets and can be a great time to incorporate special deals as well.

Learn to incorporate seasonality into your strategy to optimize brand reach.

5) Slow and Steady

Four Japanese people in a meeting.

As may have been alluded to previously in some of our behaviors, Japanese are notorious for taking their time when making decisions and adopting new trends or ideas.

Besides the aforementioned aversion to risk, there are a number of factors that contribute to this.

  1. Research: They want to thoroughly look through the products and think about how it can be implemented into their company.
  2. Build Relationships: They want to develop a relationship and trust with the company they are working with before making a decision.
  3. Reluctance to pushy sales tactics: Along the opposite lines of building relationships, is the aversion to strong, high-pressure sales tactics. While may work in some Western settings it will come off wrong. They want to see a genuine attempt to foster a relationship with their company.
  4. Long-term value: When they make a decision, they need to see that it will provide long-term value for the company. Why because once they decide to work with you, they will stick with you and will be repeat buyers and brand evangelists for your brand.

Often it may seem like they are not interested in your product, or they are leading you on. But if your patient and land the deal it will pay off.

Be ready to put in time to develop the relationship and gain their trust, because they will be your most loyal client.

Key Takeaways

1. Trust: Take time to develop relationships with your Japanese clients, because once you have it, they will be loyal to your brand.

2. Patience: Be patient and understanding that the process may take long but if you seal the deal, it’s for the long-term.

3. Customer Service: Deliver excellent customer service and client relationships as it will strengthen your brand image.

4. Leverage Seasons and Holidays: Take advantage of the change in seasons, the holidays, or even local traditions.

5. Adapt: Be willing to change the systems and strategies that worked in other countries, it won’t work the same in Japan.

I hope this has been helpful if you want to see more content like this follow me on social media or sign up for my newsletter to get the latest to your inbox.

3 thoughts on “5 Japanese consumer behaviors you need to know”

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