世論 What Japan Thinks

I’ve not actually been into a clothes shop to get stuff for myself for a couple of years, although the last time I did go it was to a Uniqlo, the shop that comes out way on top in this recent survey from MyVoice into casual wear shops.

Demographics

Over the first five days of January 2009 13,923 members of the MyVoice internet community successfully completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 54% of the sample were female, 2% in their teens, 13% in their twenties, 36% in their thirties, 31% in their forties, and 18% aged fifty or older.

I usually buy casual wear at Passport, as they have a nice (read “cheap”) line of hannari tofu clothes. Otherwise I leave the casual shopping up to the wife, who uses mail order on the whole.

Research results

Q1: In which of the following casual wear shops have you bought something for yourself? (Sample size=13,923, multiple answer)

Uniqlo	87.7%
Muji Ryohin	54.2%
GAP	39.7%
Shimamura	37.8%
Right-on	35.7%
Comme Ca Ism	34.8%
Benetton	25.9%
Jeans Mate	16.6%
Eddie Bauer	12.0%
Zara	7.7%
Next	5.2%
H and M	4.5%
Other	13.5%
None of the above	4.3%

Q2: In which one of the following casual wear shops have you most often bought items for yourself? (Sample size=those who have shopped in any of them)

Uniqlo	58.1%
Shimamura	9.5%
Muji Ryohin	5.3%
Right-on	4.5%
GAP	4.2%
Comme Ca Ism	3.7%
Eddie Bauer	1.5%
Jeans Mate	0.9%
Zara	0.9%
Benetton	0.5%
H and M	0.4%
Next	0.2%
Other	10.0%
No answer	0.3%

Q3: Why do you shop at these casual wear shops? (Sample size=those who have shopped in any of them, multiple answer)

Reasonable prices	80.7%
Shop is nearby, easy to get to	48.1%
Wide selection	22.5%
Can find stuff I want	21.5%
Can make my purchases quickly	14.4%
Good sense	9.7%
Like the concept of the shop	9.1%
Good layout of items, easy to find products	8.5%
Good quality items	7.6%
Good overall shop atmosphere	7.5%
Often see their advertisements	7.3%
Can trust the store	5.1%
Good staff attitude	4.5%
Can also buy stuff other than clothes	4.2%
Frequently introduce new ranges of items	4.0%
On the leading edge of trends	1.7%
Can discuss things with staff	0.8%
Staff have broad knowledge of their products	0.7%
Can purchase imported goods	0.6%
Famous people often wear their items	0.2%
Other	2.8%
No particular reason	5.4%
No answer	0.7%

Q4: What sorts of items do you normally buy at casual wear shops? (Sample size=those who have shopped in any of them, multiple answer)

T shirt	52.2%
Jeans, chinos, etc	51.5%
Knitwear, sweater	42.4%
Shirt, blouse	41.2%
Socks	38.5%
Children’s clothes	15.2%
Jacket	13.7%
Coat	9.8%
Gloves, scarf	9.7%
Other clothes	9.6%
Skirt	7.7%
Belt	6.6%
Hat	6.1%
Bag	5.7%
Other miscellaneous items	5.6%
One piece	4.9%
Casual shoes	2.9%
Casual suit	2.7%
Accessory	1.6%
Tie	1.2%
Wallet	1.1%
Formal suit	1.0%
Sunglasses	0.8%
Formal shoes	0.6%
Watch	0.4%
Dress	0.3%
No answer	1.1%

Q5: About how much do you spend per year on casual wear, either at the shops above or elsewhere? (Sample size=13,923)

Up to 9,999 yen	25.9%
10,000 to 29,999 yen	32.4%
30,000 to 49,999 yen	19.3%
40,000 to 69,999 yen	8.5%
70,000 to 99,999 yen	4.9%
100,000 to 149,999 yen	3.0%
150,000 to 199,999 yen	1.2%
200,000 yen or more	1.4%
Don’t buy anything	3.5%

Q6: At which casual wear shops have you bought items for someone other than yourself? (Sample size=13,923, multiple answer)

Uniqlo	40.3%
GAP	17.7%
Comme Ca Ism	16.0%
Shimamura	14.7%
Muji Ryohin	14.3%
Right-on	12.2%
Benetton	4.5%
Eddie Bauer	3.8%
Jeans Mate	3.1%
Zara	2.0%
Next	1.6%
H and M	1.4%
Other	4.7%
Nowhere	42.5%
No answer	0.2%

Q6: For whom have you bought items? (Sample size=those who have bought for someone else, multiple answer)

Spouse	56.3%
Child	54.3%
Parent	13.7%
Friend	9.0%
Boyfriend, girlfriend	7.6%
Other	8.2%
No answer	5.3%