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By Angie, July 2, 2010 8:55 am

Today, I will be deviating a bit from China news and traveling a bit further to Japan.

Lately, I’ve read a few articles about the impact of Twitter on the Japanese and have found it fascinating and decided that I wanted to comment on it.  While I predominantly study Greater China, I have done work with Starcom’s Japan teams and have also learned about the Japanese market through our Digital Moms study, where Japan was one of the regions we deep-dived into.

The Associated Press recently discussed Twitter’s success in Japan, succeeding where other international social networking sites (like Facebook and MySpace) have failed.  Twitter has taken off to such a great degree that the proportion of Japanese internet users who tweet is 16.3%, which surpasses the Americans (sitting at 9.8%).   Also compare this to the mere 3% of Japanese internet users who are on Facebook (vs. 62% for Americans).

Japan “Mumbles”
The translation of “tweet” in Japan is “mumble“.  I find this translation in terminology so cute and so appropriate for the often soft-spoken Japanese.   Twitter estimates that the Japanese now mumble nearly eight million messages a day, which is 12% of the global total.

Twitter Japan homepage

Breaking Societal Rules
Japanese society is known for its insular culture.  We saw this in our Digital Moms study and the results had really surprised me at the time.  Only 24% of the Japanese moms studied said that “the internet helps me connect with my family and friends” (compared to 71% of studied China moms).  However, a quote I read really articulates just how much of an effect Twitter is having upon Japanese society: “Twitter is turning out to be like a cocktail party – Japanese see how much fun it is to network and casually connect with other people.”

Our Starcom study saw that in the eyes of the Japanese, the internet is more of a functional tool, allowing them to obtain practical information.  The Japanese mom is more of a reader than a contributor and will use the internet mainly to search for information (particularly weather and food/cooking) or compare prices. The social element of the internet was remarkably low – especially when compared to the relationship-building Chinese and the social network-loving Singaporeans.  Looking at the numbers associated with “visiting social networking sites”, only 34% of Japanese moms said they did this within the past 30 days, while the percent jumped to 75% for Chinese moms and a whopping 85% for Singaporean moms.

Japanese girl listening to Mom

The Relief in Anonymity
In such a profoundly polite culture as the Japanese, you can imagine what a relief it may be to speak one’s true feelings without feeling the need for censorship (lest they offend, appear too aggressive, too opinionated, etc.)  That’s the core difference between Twitter and other social networking sites, such as Japan’s Mixi.  Blogger Akky Akimoto commented that non-anonymous social networking sites like Mixi become “tiring” because the everyday Japanese mentality of obligation requires social networkers to acknowledge communication, leading to a never-ending round of virtual thank yous and bows.

What Now?
It is certain that those low social networking numbers will increase.  As Twitter picks up even more in Japan and habits slowly (or quickly!) change, other sites will be embraced and the Japanese online culture may never be the same again. Already businesses are getting on board the Twitter train in Japan.  Popular clothing chain, Uniqlo, is one of the first to use this new form of conversation to their advantage by setting up a virtual queue where people tweet (mumble!) with each other and get freebies.

If Starcom conducts our digital mom study a year or two from now, I wonder how different the responses will be in Japan.  My guess is that the numbers will be dramatically different and I will be nodding my head with a smile on my face thinking “We saw it coming!”  :)

Japanese mumbling. Image from The Associated Press.

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By Angie, June 2, 2010 6:24 pm

Starcom China partnered with Microsoft to conduct a thorough study on the secret online lives of Asian mums. The study spanned 8 regions (China, HK, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, India, Japan and Korea) and was conducted using quant (2,859 respondents) as well as in-home sessions, chatting with the moms and peeking over their shoulders as they showed us their online favourites.

The findings will make it easier for marketers to target moms, knowing not only the sites they visit, but also the motivations behind their online decisions.  A few interesting conclusions we came to include:

- We can’t only look at mums as a whole group.  It’s crucial to consider mum-stages – from when the woman is a mom-to-be, to mums with a young child aged 0-2, toddlers 3-5, and older children 6-10 and 11-17.  Each of these mom-stages will use the internet for specific purposes and the online contact choices she makes will differ.

- Mums are talking about you!  She is a brand ambassador, so take advantage of this and give her noteworthy items to share. In fact, 59% of Asian mums even said that she often convinces her family and friends to buy the same items she buys.

- Mums trust other mums – even if she doesn’t know them in person.  Mom’s online network is important to her.  Many of the contacts she makes online are faceless names, yet she will still turn to them for advice and place a great amount of trust and value into their opinions about child-care products and purchase decisions – sometimes even more than her ‘real’, offline family and friends!  (This is especially the case for China moms)

Below is an article in MEDIA discussing this study:

E-commerce revolutionises Asian mums’ buying habits

by Kenny Lim    27-May-10, 12:06

Mothers have long been identified as the key target market for consumer brands, but a recent study shows just how much new media channels are imacting their purchasing habits.

Dubbed ‘Secret online lives of Asia’s mothers’, the research from Microsoft and Starcom MediaVest Group shows certain nuances of mums from eight key markets across the region. However, one aspect that should really get marketers and brands excited is the growing acceptance of e-commerce and how mothers are embracing online shopping.

In terms of numbers, over two-thirds of the 2,859 mums polled had purchased child/family products online and close to 70 per cent plan to do so in the next 12 months. For individual markets, online shopping for kids and family is most popular with mums in China (87 per cent) and Korea (82 per cent). When it comes to buying products for personal use, Chinese and Korean mums also lead, with 94 per cent having made an e-purchase.

Across other parts of Asia, percentages of mothers shopping online might not yet yield high numbers owing to lesser e-commerce infrastructures. But uptake of e-shopping can only grow as new generations of online savvy young women enter motherhood and e-commerce infrastructures evolve to deliver against mums’ online shopping needs and expectations of the total shopping experience.

Joanna von Felkerzam, director of research and insights for Asia-Pacific at Starcom MediaVest Group, explains the upsurge: “Shopping online taps into a universal truth about mums – that they are smart and need to feel like they are making smart choices. Mums have little time to themselves and online shopping lets them take care of their needs when it’s convenient. It delivers on their need for reliable product access.”

According to Maile Carnegie, general manager, P&G Marketing, Asia, brands need to be where mums are receptive to receiving their message. “Increasingly this is in digital. While there is still a place for other media channels, increasingly our more successful brands have an integrated media plan that has a strong digital component.”

But brands also need to be aware that expectations of shopping online also differ by market. In Taiwan, mothers love online shopping as it frees them of in-store consultant pressures. In Malaysia, meanwhile, mums appreciate special offers and promotions. In markets such as Japan, China and South Korea, mum-targeting websites offering cheaper alternatives to retail shops figure highly too.

Kenneth Andrew, marketing director, Microsoft Advertising Greater Asia-Pacific, says more interactive online spaces in the lead-up to the purchase decision or to engage mums in the lead-up are critical. “When exploring creating an online experience to influence purchasing decisions, brands need to consider where mothers across Asia will access their content,” he says. “This will mostly be in spaces that brands already own – micro-sites and corporate pages.These types of spaces can include interactive aspects like e-commerce, feedback pages and company blogs.”

Social spaces such as networks, forums and blogs are now important as well, as the majority of mothers (85-86 per cent) are active readers of online social content and three-quarters of them are contributors. Two-thirds are social networkers and 56 per cent update their profiles each week.

Therefore, through giving mums an optimal online shopping experience, coupled with them gravitating towards social and interactive spaces, mothers will continue to be ideal brand ambassadors.

With mums embracing e-shopping, brands and marketers cannot ignore post-purchase scenarios and behaviours as well.
“Mums and consumers don’t randomly end up on web pages and e-commerce sites to buy something,” says Pushkar Sane, chief digital officer, North and South Asia, Starcom MediaVest Group. “If a mum buys something and they like it, they are more than likely to recommend the brand to someone else. It doesn’t start and end as an e-commerce transaction now.”

http://www.media.asia/searcharticle/2010_05/E-commerce-revolutionises-Asian-mums-buying-habits/40072