Mobile Commerce Surges in Japan over Wireless Networks

Mobile commerce over cell phones jumped 25 percent last fiscal year to around 971 billion yen ($8.8 billion) according to a survey on e-business just released by Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry [.pdf in Japanese]. Covering all of fiscal 2004 (which in Japan ended March ‘05), the survey showed wireless purchases of books and music had grown by 85 percent from virtually nothing the previous year to 330 million yen ($3 million). Shopping for clothing and accessories over the smallest screen accelerated 79 percent, taking in 150 hundred million yen ($1.3 million).

Researchers for the report noted that consumers are comfortable with shopping on the Web, grouping it with other mainstream retail experiences. Individual online (Internet) purchases rose nearly 29 percent to 5.64 trillion yen in fiscal ‘04. This confidence has users embracing the anytime, anywhere convenience of the mobile Web in addition to — and even sometimes preferably to - the PC experience.