Japan is an archipelago nation located in East Asia. The nation has the world’s fourth-largest economy and was the first country in Asia to achieve developed country status. Modern Japan is often characterised by its technological advancements and conveniences such as high-speed bullet trains, diverse assortments of vending machines (there are 5 million of them across the country!) and robotics. The capital city of Tokyo is the centre of Japanese culture and the economy and the main centre for face-to-face market research in Japan, followed by Osaka.
Japan’s economy is heavily dominated by the services sector, contributing towards 71% of Japan’s nominal GDP and employing 73% of the nation’s workforce. Finance and insurance, retail and wholesale trade, and healthcare (including eldercare services) are all heavy contributors. A further 27% consists of industry.
Japan is a world leader in the development of robotics such as humanoids that assist with domestic challenges and advanced technology for factory automation. Prominent companies include Fanuc, Yaskawa Electric, Mitsubishi Electric and Kawasaki Heavy Industries. Japan has a long history as one of the world’s largest automobile manufacturers and is the third largest automotive producer in the world. Manufacturers such as Toyota, Honda, and Nissan call Japan home.
There are a number of important points to bear in mind when planning market research in Japan:
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Focus groups allow participants to combine experiences and perspectives to explore ideas in depth. Commonly used during creative and conceptual development, they help you understand your customers’ needs, perceptions, and beliefs.
In-depth interviews (IDIs), where a moderator interviews a single respondent, can be conducted face-to-face, online, or over the phone. They are ideal for B2B research and for exploring delicate subjects with consumers and hard-to-reach groups.
Ethnographic research is a qualitative research method in which the researchers observe participants using a product or service, or carrying out other activities, in their own environment, typically at work or at home.
An online bulletin board (OBB) is an online forum for qualitative market research that enables participants to log into to carry out research tasks or reply to questions asked by a moderator at their own pace, typically over a period of a few days.
A market research online community (MROC) is similar to an online bulletin board (OBB). However, unlike an OBB, on online community may be used to serve multiple purposes, and the community may remain active for weeks, months or even years.
User experience (UX) testing is a qualitative research methodology which involves directly observing and interviewing a participant using a product or service. It is widely used for testing new versions of apps and websites before they are launched.
Customer experience (CX) testing evaluates how customers interact with a product, service, or digital platform. It helps identify usability issues and overall satisfaction to improve the customer journey and ensure a smooth and enjoyable experience.
A video survey is a type of unmoderated qualitative research in which survey takers respond to a series of instructions or questions by making short videos using their smartphone, either in ‘selfie’ mode or to record an activity.
Vox pop research involves making recordings of people, usually members of the public, responding to questions. These clips are often used in research to illustrate public opinion on widely known topics, brands, or products.
Online surveys are a cost-effective research method with great flexibility in design. Automated data handling allows the results to be available quickly and many online surveys can be completed on smartphones, helping to improve the response rate.
CATI (computer-assisted telephone interviewing) leverages technology to reach those who aren’t online. CATI interviews follow an electronic script with built in routing and type in the respondent’s answers to each question as the interview proceeds.
CAPI (computer-assisted personal interviewing) is a form of face-to-face interviewing where the interviewer reads the survey questions from a tablet device and inputs the respondent’s answers directly to the device.
A food delivery company with operations in many countries asked us to support user research to evaluate the consumer experience of ordering food deliveries via their app in Australia, Canada, Germany and Japan and compare it with key competitors in each market.
We recruited a variety of smartphone users in Japan to understand how they use ‘focus mode’. We were asked to recruit mostly iPhone users and to include a number of students in the sample. Participants needed to be 18+, with an average daily screen time of 4+ hours.
We were asked to recruit respondents in Japan and Korea for an Online Bulletin Board. Respondents needed to be Android users and explore new apps and games on their phone frequently. We successfully recruited respondents, despite the difficulty of finding people who could commit to this lengthy project.
We conducted OBBs in Germany, India, Brazil, and Japan with kids, tweens and teens aged 6-17 to explore how children engage with GenAI tools. Participants tested several AI apps in sequence over a period of six weeks and shared insights on usability, preferences and learning potential.
We were initially asked to recruit respondents from the UK, Japan, India for online focus groups. A later phase also involved Thailand. Our client was working on a project that sought to provide understanding of the preferences and attitudes of teens and adults towards avatars and virtual reality.
A well-known audio streaming platform wanted to understand the audio consumption habits of members of Gen Z in 14 different countries. FieldworkHub was tasked with finding 30 participants in total who all spoke English and listened to some form of audio at least once per week on the client’s platform.
