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

Mercari Inc (4385 JP): Steep Decline in Price Appears Unwarranted Given Positive Outlook on OP

Mercari: Micro-Quantamental Support for LT 40% OPM and Signs of a US Turnaround Say Buy

Mercari – Shift to Supply-Focused Promotions Slow GMV Growth

Mercari Inc: OP Loss Widens But Low Exposure to Retail Investors Should Shield From Downside Risk

Mercari: So Popular Because It Makes CtoC Trading so Easy – and It Is Making It Even Easier

Bookoff Corp (3313 JP): Closure of Flagship Store a Sign of Restructuring or the End of the Road?

As E-Commerce Players Expand Into The Offline Market, Will Mercari Follow Suit?

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

<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/27149" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:27149:1">Mercari (4385 JP)</a> can do no wrong in Japan, posting ever higher record sales, and with new ideas and innovations that make sense.All of this is marred by its seeming obsession with the US market. As it has for so many other retailers, the US could be Mercari’s undoing.It has sacrificed some interesting new Japanese ventures in order to reduce its losses, but what it really needs to do is close down its US business and focus on Asia.Rumours of a move into a Japan's nascent and very promising online food market may well be a big enough new idea to persuade it to focus its resources closer to home.

Mercari (4385 JP) can do no wrong in Japan, posting ever higher record sales, and with new ideas and innovations that make sense.All of this is marred by its seeming obsession with the US market. As it has for so many other retailers, the US could be Mercari’s undoing.It has sacrificed some interesting new Japanese ventures in order to reduce its losses, but what it really needs to do is close down its US business and focus on Asia.Rumours of a move into a Japan's nascent and very promising online food market may well be a big enough new idea to persuade it to focus its resources closer to home.

Mercari: 1 Billion Shipments but More Losses from US Woes – It's Time to Come Home