An increasing number of people these days are choosing to shop online. This is especially the case in Japan, a country that has an estimated internet penetration rate of 93.3 percent and is currently the third largest e-commerce market in the world — and one of the fastest growing.
Many smartphone users in Japan have downloaded shopping apps that allow them to access stores such as Amazon, Zozotown and Mercari without a second thought.
However, online shoppers are forced to rely almost exclusively on user-uploaded images and reviews when making purchases. Without being able to physically inspect the product in front of them, they must make their decisions based on online feedback that is provided by others.