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 – Expecting an Acceleration in US GMV Growth

Mercari – Additional US Disclosure Is a Positive

Fashion E-Commerce Has Watershed Year in 2020

Mercari – If Mercari Traded Up to Poshmark’s 30x EV/Sales You Would Make 184%

E-Commerce Wars in Japan: How Z Holdings Is Facing off Against Rakuten and Amazon

Mercari – Small Beat and Good Underlying Trends

Z Holdings -  With Merger Close, Investment Will Accelerate

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

If <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/mercari-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:27149:1" rel="noopener">Mercari Inc (4385 JP)</a> were a retailer, the CtoC platform would now be Japan’s 5th biggest vendor of apparel, symbolic of just how influential it has become and the significant role of used fashions in the wider market.
And it is not just fashion. Mercari is now handling all manner of household goods, even food. It is also increasingly influencing the sale of new goods thanks to new services for major retailers in data flow and marketing.
So big is its influence, even the Tax Office now has a Mercari department.
Not surprisingly, Mercari's success is attracting more competitors. <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/z-holdings-corp" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:19603:1" rel="noopener">Z Holdings (4689 JP)</a> launched PayPay Flea Market just over a year ago and is now doing what it does best: slashing fees and piling on incentives to try and grab share from the market leader.

If Mercari Inc (4385 JP) were a retailer, the CtoC platform would now be Japan’s 5th biggest vendor of apparel, symbolic of just how influential it has become and the significant role of used fashions in the wider market.
And it is not just fashion. Mercari is now handling all manner of household goods, even food. It is also increasingly influencing the sale of new goods thanks to new services for major retailers in data flow and marketing.
So big is its influence, even the Tax Office now has a Mercari department.
Not surprisingly, Mercari's success is attracting more competitors. Z Holdings (4689 JP) launched PayPay Flea Market just over a year ago and is now doing what it does best: slashing fees and piling on incentives to try and grab share from the market leader.

Mercari’s Relentless Innovation Opens Closets