世論 What Japan Thinks

Here’s another delayed survey from DIMSDRIVE Research, this time looking at food home delivery, which finds out that pizza is still Japan’s favourite delivery food.

Demographics

Between the 17th of February and the 4th of March 2010 9,602 members of the DIMSDRIVE Research monitors completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 51.5% of the sample were male, 0.8% in their teens, 11.2% in their twenties, 31.0% in their thirties, 31.9% in their forties, 16.9% in their fifties, and 8.2% aged sixty or older. Furthermore, 62.8% were married, 14.1% lived alone, 24.3% with one other person, 25.4% with two others, 23.2% with three others, and 13.0% with four or more.

I haven’t ordered home delivery for ages and ages, probably almost two years, because none of the pizza shops take credit cards, and once you add in all the side dishes, etc, it’s just as easy and slightly cheaper to go and eat out.

Research results

Q1: About how often does your family use food home delivery services? (Sample size=9,602)

Once a week or more	1.9%
Two or three times a month	5.6%
Once a month	8.9%
Once every two or three months	14.2%
Once every six months	12.6%
Once a year	6.4%
Less than once a year	12.5%
Never	37.9%

Perhaps not surprisingly, younger people were more frequent users of home delivery.

Q2: At what times does your family order food home delivery services? (Sample size=5,949, multiple answer)

When busy and cannot prepare food	32.9%
When we want to eat that particular food	31.5%
When cooking is too much bother	31.4%
On anniverseries, etc	23.7%
When friends are invited round	22.8%
When relatives gather	18.6%
When we want to simply just eat	17.2%
When we want something special	12.0%
When a lot of children gather	6.9%
It’s a meal I, family cannot cook	5.3%
When the person who usually cook is not in	3.9%
When less of the family, just myself, is present	2.9%
Other	2.3%

By household size, those living alone were most likely by quite a margin to get food in when friends were visiting. For other reasons and household sizes, no numbers particularly stood out.

Q3: What food styles’ delivery services do you use? (Sample size=5,949, multiple answer)

Pizza, pasta	78.3%
Sushi	37.2%
Ramen, Chinese	15.4%
Soba, udon noodles	10.1%
Tonkatsu (breaded pork and rice), tendon (battered fish and rice), other rice bowls	8.7%
Family restaurant delivery menu	7.3%
Catering service, catered lunch box, etc	4.3%
Kamameshi (pilaf-type dish)	4.0%
Curry	4.0%
Western food	3.5%
Japanese food	2.8%
Sandwich, hamburger	2.1%
Ethnic	0.8%
Dessert, sweets	0.4%
Other	1.1%

Not surprisingly, pizza and pasta was more popular with the young, with 85.4% of those in their twenties and a still respectable 56.2% of those over sixty ordering it. Sushi was the reverse, with 25.5% of those in their twenties but 63.2% over sixty ordering it.

Q4: On average, about how much per person do you spend? (Sample size=5,949)

Under 1,000 yen	19.5%
1,000 to 1,499 yen	38.2%
1,500 to 1,999 yen	18.0%
2,000 to 2,499 yen	9.5%
2.500 to 2,999 yen	6.2%
3,000 to 3,999 yen	3.1%
4,000 to 4,999 yen	1.5%
5,000 yen or more	1.4%
Don’t know	2.6%

By family size, people living alone were more likely to push the boat out a bit more, although that might be a misleading trend as most pizza shops only do free delivery for orders of 2,000 yen or more. I know I did that and kept half the pizza in the fridge for the next evening’s meal.

Q5: What do you use to find out about food home delivery services? (Sample size=5,949, multiple answer)

Leaflets delivered to the home (including newspaper inserts)	61.2%
Internet search from computer	36.2%
Leaflet direct from a shop	24.7%
Shop close to home, shop I know about	16.1%
Telephone directory	7.3%
Internet search from mobile phone	3.4%
Other	0.3%
Don’t search, always have a particular shop in mind	5.6%
Don’t search myself	1.2%

Younger people were more likely to search the internet than older peope, but having said that a respectable 20.7% of the over-sixties searched from their computers.

Q6: What sites do you use to find out about food home delivery services? (Sample size=2,214, internet searchers, multiple answer)

Demae-can	29.9%
Directly search for shop	25.8%
Rakuten delivery	23.9%
Keyword search on search engine	18.2%
Yahoo! Gourmet take out order service	15.4%
Guru-navi delivery	14.4%
Sugu Kuru Net	1.1%
Other take out search engine, portal site	2.3%
Other	0.9%
No particular usual method	14.1%

Q7: What points are important when selecting a food home delivery service? (Sample size=5,949, multiple answer)

Price	71.0%
Taste	69.6%
Speed of delivery	34.9%
Whether they have discount coupon, point card, etc	33.8%
Varied menu	31.5%
Gets delivered while still hot/cool	30.9%
Whether there’s a delivery charge, how much is the delivery charge	21.7%
Staff manners when ordering	19.5%
Delivery staff manners	16.0%
Easy-to-read menu, information-rich menu	11.8%
If there’s free extras	10.0%
If I don’t need to wash and return the plates	7.8%
Gorgeousness of the menu	5.9%
Shop brand	4.9%
If I can pay by credit card	3.1%
If I don’t need to throw the plates away myself	2.2%
Other	0.8%
Nothing in particular	5.4%

Q8: What are you dissatisfied with regarding food home delivery services? (Sample size=5,949, multiple answer)

Difficult to order a small amount, such as for one	39.6%
More expensive than eating out	38.7%
Has minimum order price set	20.5%
Dishes become rubbish	16.1%
Takes time to deliver	16.0%
Not very tasty (flavour, got cold, etc)	12.6%
Significant difference between the picture and the actual product	8.9%
Staff manners when ordering	3.9%
Bothersome to wash the dishes	3.6%
Delivery staff manners	3.5%
Dish gets all misshaped	3.5%
Too tightly wrapped up in cling film	2.8%
Menu is difficult to read, difficult to choose from	2.7%
Other	1.8%
Nothing in particular	20.9%

Q9: Why don’t you use food home delivery services? (Sample size=3,653, multiple answer)

More expensive than eating out	37.1%
Easier to just eat out	19.5%
Difficult to order a small amount, such as for one	19.5%
Home-made is tastier	19.4%
No delivery service shops close at hand	18.2%
No delivery service shops that I want to order from close at hand	17.1%
Not very tasty	12.8%
Has minimum order price set so cannot order	10.9%
Takes time to deliver	10.0%
Goes cold before getting delivered	7.5%
Don’t like people coming to the house	3.5%
Family complains about me ordering	3.1%
Dissatisfied with staff manners when ordering	1.1%
Dissatisfied with delivery staff manners	0.9%
Other	4.3%
Nothing in particular	20.8%

Q10: Compared with before the economy got worse, how has your frequency of using food home delivery services changed? (Sample size=5,949)

Increased	1.0%
Slightly increased	2.9%
Not changed	51.3%
Slightly decreased	22.3%
Decreased	22.5%

Q11: Compared with before the economy got worse, how has your family’s frequency of eating out changed? (Sample size=5,949)

Increased	1.0%
Slightly increased	4.0%
Not changed	48.1%
Slightly decreased	26.4%
Decreased	20.5%