Tag - shopping

 
 

SHOPPING

A Daiso shop in New York in September 2022. While Daiso originally entered the U.S. in 2005, it has scaled these efforts up over the past few years — the retailer now has about 120 stores across seven states.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 11, 2024
Daiso banks on ‘brand Japan’ for U.S. expansion
The discount store chain plans to open 65 stores in the U.S. in 2024, and over 100 next year.
A poster for digital coupons at a store in the city of Fukushima
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Fukushima
Mar 11, 2024
Fukushima’s welfare coupon campaign highlights digital divide
A call center dedicated to the initiative received so many calls that telephone lines were overloaded.
A pedestrian walks outside an Aeon store near Kofukuji Matsubara shopping street in Yokohama in April 2022.
BUSINESS
Jan 29, 2024
Japan's Aeon in exclusive talks to buy Tsuruha stake from Oasis
An increase in Aeon's stake would add to its drugstore business, a key growth driver for the firm.
Foreign tourists take pictures in Tokyo's Asakusa district in November.
BUSINESS
Dec 20, 2023
Japan’s post-pandemic tourists shift spending to crafts and jewelry
Average spending on traditional handicrafts per visitor was ¥13,338 ($92) in the July-September quarter, up 80% from the same period in 2019.
What makes a good gift guide? The answers are as varied as they are complex.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Dec 16, 2023
The naughty and nice of creating holiday gift guides
The most shoppable gift guides, some say, suggest products that are novel but useful, surprising but thoughtful, affordable but not cheap.
The undulating structure of the Garden Plaza in Azabudai Hills in Tokyo is designed to showcase diverse greenery as well as act as an antidote to boxlike architecture.
BUSINESS
Nov 24, 2023
In photos: Tokyo’s new 'city within a city'
Mori's new Hills complex aims to challenge the traditional vision of hard-edged city living with beveled curves and green terraces.
Pedestrians walk past stores in the Koenji district in Tokyo on Oct. 29.
BUSINESS
Nov 23, 2023
Personal shopping services in Japan buoyed by weak yen
Shoppers who cannot physically be in Japan are outsourcing their hunt for bargains to remote shopping services.
A JD.com advertisement in Beijing promoting the Singles Day shopping festival
BUSINESS
Nov 10, 2023
China’s Singles Day downbeat amid slumping consumer confidence
Shoppers are increasingly seeking value, looking for cheaper brands amid an overall mood of restraint.
A notice issued by the Consumer Affairs Agency on its website and elsewhere cautions consumers about "dark patterns" on the internet. The issue has seen web design tricks employed to coax consumers into parting with their money.
BUSINESS
Oct 29, 2023
'Dark patterns' deceiving online consumers in Japan
Among other tactics, some websites preselect a subscription option when users log in, leading to unintended financial commitments.
A woman takes her meal alone in Tokyo's Yanaka neighborhood. As the country ages, Japan's average caloric intake has been shrinking.
PODCAST / deep dive
Oct 20, 2023
Table for one? What depopulation in Japan means for dinner.
As Japan’s population ages and more people find themselves isolated, solving their dietary needs is shaping the way the country feeds itself.
Bento boxes at OK's new store in Tokyo's upscale Ginza district on Tuesday
BUSINESS
Oct 18, 2023
Discount supermarket OK opens store in Tokyo's posh Ginza district
Discount supermarket operator OK opened a store in Tokyo's upscale Ginza district, aiming to cater to foreign tourists and restaurant operators.
Pedestrians walk past a McDonald's restaurant in Hong Kong.
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 13, 2023
Hong Kong takes economic hit as Chinese tourists fail to splurge
Changes in travel habits come as the Chinese economy weakens and youth unemployment remains high.
The PayPay app now seeks to keep its pace of double-digit growth with help from other SoftBank portfolio companies.
BUSINESS / Tech
Oct 5, 2023
SoftBank’s PayPay app showcases Masayoshi Son’s clout in Japan
Seen to be next in SoftBank’s initial public offering pipeline, the startup now holds two-thirds’ share in QR-code payments in Japan.
A shopper browses among winter coats at a department store in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 2, 2023
Winter clothes pile up as warm weather threatens holiday shopping
With temperatures expected to start off warm, stores carrying winter clothes could find themselves loaded with inventory at the end of the season.
A joint study by consultant McKinsey and data firm NielsenIQ earlier this year found that 78% of U.S. consumers say a sustainable lifestyle is important to them.
ENVIRONMENT / Sustainability
Sep 8, 2023
Shoppers say they want sustainable goods, but won't pay more
When push comes to shove, manufacturers sometimes find consumers aren't buying their sustainable products.
Kyoko Yafuso and her son Keiju Togei pose in front of their store in the Sunrise Naha shopping street.
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Okinawa
Sep 4, 2023
Tired Naha shopping arcade evolves into city’s best dining spot
Until about 10 years ago, the central shopping arcade around the Heiwa-dori street in Naha was deserted, with most stores closed and few visitors.
Welcia Holdings, Japan’s largest drugstore chain, is one of the first Japanese companies to respond to China easing its ban on group tours to a raft of countries last week.
BUSINESS
Aug 18, 2023
Japan drugstore chain boosts duty-free counters on China bets
The company plans to offer duty-free services at 1,000 stores, up from about 260 currently, and it expects tourists to travel beyond Japan’s major cities.
A Shein office in Singapore. The meteoric rise of shopping platforms selling Chinese-made goods has been fueled by a decades-old loophole that allows cheap products to land in U.S. mailboxes tariff-free.
BUSINESS
Aug 4, 2023
Key trade loophole keeps cheap Chinese products flowing to U.S.
The fact that Chinese goods and China-founded companies are benefiting from the loophole has frustrated some U.S. lawmakers.
TikTok is in a race to dominate e-commerce in Southeast Asia.
BUSINESS
Jul 24, 2023
TikTok steps up Southeast Asia presence amid e-commerce push
As the company intermingles social media and e-commerce, it is betting that this vision of shopping will knock aside rivals in the region.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jun 30, 2023
Frugal phrases: Finding money-saving tips in Japanese
Cost-conscious Japanese shoppers know various tricks to try and save money. By beefing up on your economic terms, maybe you can get in on the deals.

Longform

A statue of "Dragon Ball" character Goku stands outside the offices of Bandai Namco in Tokyo. The figure is now as recognizable as such characters as Mickey Mouse and Spider-Man.
Akira Toriyama's gift to the world