Over 86 percent of Japanese consumers plan to continue making cashless purchases even after the government's points-based rebate system concludes in June, a recent study by a Tokyo-based marketing research company has shown.
Respondents cited convenience and credit card reward programs for their decision, according to an online study conducted by General Research Inc., which surveyed 1,060 cashless payment users in their 20s to 60s over three days from Jan. 16.
The Japanese government implemented the reward program for cashless payments to encourage consumption and cushion the negative effects of its two-point sales tax hike to 10 percent last October. Rebate rates sit at 5 percent at small and medium-size stores and 2 percent at major chain stores, including convenience stores.