Following the earthquake in Japan, the major Japanese B2C E-Commerce players experienced a decline in revenue. However, now consumers are again buying more online. Nonetheless, retailers are still worried about the long-term effects of the crisis.
Internet use continues to be very high in Japan
In 2010, the number of internet users reached approximately 100 million in Japan, which corresponds to approximately 80 % of the population. In 2011, more than 80 % of all Japanese internet users visited shopping websites. Additionally, in June 2011 they spent the longest time on blogging websites (more than an hour per day) worldwide. According to the "Japan B2C E-Commerce Report 2011" by yStats.com, in 2010 "Books" was the most popular B2C E-Commerce category followed by "Fashion", "Music" and "Travel". Based on unique visitor numbers, Rakuten was the most successful Japanese B2C E-Commerce player in September 2011, followed by Amazon and Nissen. Encouraged by its success, Rakuten has continued to expand globally through take-overs of international E-Commerce competitors such as British Play.com.