Expert on Japan Retail and Consumer Markets, JapanConsuming

Michael Causton

Michael is co-founder and partner at JapanConsuming.

JapanConsuming is a specialist research firm producing intelligence on Japanese retail and consumer markets. Founded in 2000, JapanConsuming has become the leading provider of insights on Japanese retailers and consumer trends to retailers, brands, government agencies and investors. As well as a highly regarded monthly report on the market, JapanConsuming produces in-depth reports and seminars on retail sectors and consumer trends, as well as telephone consulting/meetings with investors. 

All of JapanConsuming's team are bilingual and bi-cultural, and the company's research sources are:

Direct meetings with retailers, wholesalers, distributors, trade body staff, govt., marketing firms, academics etc.
Govt. data
Trade association data
Trade Press across all consumer sectors
Unique Network of buyers/managers/marketing staff at retail, as well as wholesalers and trading firms.
Editors/Journalists at publishing houses and PR/Ad firms.


JapanConsuming was founded by Michael Causton and Roy Larke. 

Michael Causton set up and ran a consumer distribution business in Tokyo for 10 years and developed this into a business responsible for annual imports to Japan of several billion Yen, at the same time building up an inside knowledge of how Japanese distribution works and developing a network of contacts across the industry. Seeing the lack of quality market intelligence on Japanese markets, he co-founded JapanConsuming in 2000. He divides his time between Japan and Europe/US consulting for companies, governments and investors, including providing talks, seminars, and webinars as well as writing reports and books.

Expert on Japan Retail and Consumer Markets

Aeon Consolidates Through Fuji and Steps up Discounting Via Can Do

Ups and Downs in Japanese Big Retail a Year After Covid Hit

3Coins Proves a Hit in Pandemic and Moves into Food

Palette: Aeon’s New Hope for the Fast-Growing Discount Sector

Aeon Vs Seven & I: New Ideas to Stay Ahead

Aeon 2020: A Year of Ups and Downs but a More Profitable Future

Real Insight on Japanese Consumer Markets

JapanConsuming

JapanConsuming is a specialist research firm producing intelligence on Japanese retail and consumer markets. Founded in 2000, JapanConsuming has become the leading provider of insights on Japanese retailers and consumer trends to retailers, brands, government agencies and investors. As well as a highly regarded monthly report on the market, JapanConsuming produces in-depth reports on retail sectors, seminars on key trends and telephone consulting to investors on trends and retailers.

JapanConsuming was founded by Michael Causton and Roy Larke. 

Equity Bottom-Up

<p>Aeon is aiming high in e-commerce. It has Ocado technology coming online in 2023 and says it will spend ¥450 billion in new investment. Last month, it introduced iAeon, a new app that combines access to services across its entire group with an existing database of some 120 million users and more than one billion customer visits a year. In 2019, e-commerce accounted for an estimated 2% of Aeon’s total sales. Its medium term plan calls for an ‘Accelerated and Evolved Digital Shift’ by 2025 with e-commerce sales of ¥1 trillion or around 10-15% of total turnover.</p>

Aeon is aiming high in e-commerce. It has Ocado technology coming online in 2023 and says it will spend ¥450 billion in new investment. Last month, it introduced iAeon, a new app that combines access to services across its entire group with an existing database of some 120 million users and more than one billion customer visits a year. In 2019, e-commerce accounted for an estimated 2% of Aeon’s total sales. Its medium term plan calls for an ‘Accelerated and Evolved Digital Shift’ by 2025 with e-commerce sales of ¥1 trillion or around 10-15% of total turnover.

Aeon: Investing Online, but GMS Struggles

Aeon Co Ltd

Aeon: Investing Online, but GMS Struggles