Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, people are making more purchases online, which is understandable. The interesting fact is that Japanese shoppers have been purchasing more items online while reducing the browsing times, according to Nielsen Company’s recent survey. It means that people are purchasing items that they already know they want… the items they used to purchase at the brick-and-mortar stores. At the same time, they are not purchasing new items, which require research by reading reviews and comparing the pricing on several stores to find a better deal.

The infection rate is much lower in Japan than US, and they have much lower unemployment rate due to the pandemic. However, it seems that people are still in the “saving” mode, and reconsidering their spending habit.

The survey also found that 87% of survey participants answered that they would continue to shop online even after the pandemic goes under control or ends. This could be a good trend if you own an e-commerce site carrying daily necessity items. Think of ways to keep them coming back to your online shop before they return to local stores.