Demographics

Between the 10th and 12th of February 2014 1,078 members of the goo Research online monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 58.5% of the sample were male, 0.5% in their teens, 11.6% in their twenties, 22.4% in their thirties, 32.6% in their forties, and 33.0% aged fifty or older.

With sales tax going up from 5% to 8% in April, although currently all train tickets are rounded to the nearest 10 yen, some transport operators are planning on increasing fares by exactly 3% (actually by 2.857%, but you know what I mean!) then rounded to the nearest yen, but only for electronic cash users. As most of the ticket vending machines cannot handle one and five yen coins, for cash users the tax increase will be rounded up to the nearest ten yen.

Research results

Q1: Do you use electronic cash? (Sample size=1,078)

Yes	66.6%
Used to, but not now (to SQ1)	7.9%
No, never (to SQ1)	25.5%

Q1SQ1: Certain stretches of railway lines will become cheaper when using electronic cash. Do you think you will start using electronic cash because of this? (Sample size=360)

Yes	45.8%
No (to SQ2)	54.2%

Q1SQ2: Why will you not start using electronic cash? (Sample size=195)

Don’t use trains	53.8%
Don’t want to use electronic cash	29.2%
My line will not have one yen pricing	8.7%
I only use a season ticket	4.1%
Cash is cheaper	2.6%
Other	1.5%

Demographics

Between the 17th and 19th of April 2013 1,068 members of the goo Research online monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 52.4% of the sample were male, 16.3% in their teens, 18.3% in their twenties, 21.9% in their thirties, 16.2% in their forties, 15.6% in their fifties, and 11.7% aged sixty or older.

The numbers do suggest that electronic money is well-established here in Japan. I use one card, only, Hankyu Stacia, from a local railway, department store, shopping centre, baseball team, hotel etc operator, mostly for saving me fiddling about at ticket machines, but also occasionally at convenience stores and rarely at vending machines. It also has the benefit (from my point of view, at least) of being a post-pay system – there is no stored money; they are closer to credit card transactions. Mind you, given that most if not all electronic cash cards tied to credit cards have auto-charging features (that is, when your stored balance gets below a certain point when you pay for something, a debit from your credit card account is automatically added to your stored balance) the benefits of post-pay are I suppose minimal!

Research results

Q1: Do you use electronic money? (Sample size=1,068)

Yes (to SQ)	62.3%
No	10.7%
Don’t know what it is	4.4%

From the 665 people who used electronic money, they were asked what cards they used. 68.1% used a prepaid railway company’s card, 34.4% used WAON (from Aeon, a supermarket group), 25.1% nanaco (from 7-11 convenience store’s parent company Seven and I), and so on.

Furthermore, the 665 were asked if they used the Osaifu Keitai IC chip embedded into many phones, and 50.8% said they do use it. 19.2% use a prepaid railway card service, and 18.5% use the Rakuten Edy service.

Next, people were asked why they use electronic money. The most popular reason was that they don’t need to queue to buy railway tickets (52.8%), next that there are points or mileage features (52.3%), then 45.3% said because of the auto-charging system.

Q1SQ: In which of the following situations do you use electronic money? (Sample size=665, multiple answer)

Public transport (train, bullet train, airplane, etc)	67.1%
Paying at convenience store	59.5%
Paying for low-price items	40.3%
Paying at supermarket	34.9%
Paying at kiosks, stalls, etc inside stations	30.4%
Paying at vending machines	27.2%
Use instead of a credit card	12.8%
Other	1.1%

Demographics

Between the 26th and 28th of July 2011 1,006 male members of the goo Reseach monitor group who lived in the Tokyo metropolitan area and were in full-time employment and had credit cards completed a private internet-based questionnaire. The sample was 100% male, with 25.1% aged between 30 and 34, 25.1% between 35 and 39, 25.0% between 40 and 44, and 24.8% between 45 and 49 years old.

My main credit card also works for electronic cash and my train ticket in postpay mode. I’m also very aware of gathering points, as at Hankyu group shops they print out your current point totals on the card when you shop. For my other credit cards, points are only printed on the monthly statements, so I tend to ignore them.

Just as a note, prepay systems are where you fill up your card with cash (some systems automatically debit your credit card) then spend the balance sitting in the card. Postpay systems are more like ordinary credit cards; there is no cash in your card, and at the end of the month you get a statement summarising all your transactions. I’m a postpay fan myself.

Research results

Q1: When using your credit card for shopping, are you aware of gathering points, miles, etc? (Sample size=1,006)

	All	Thirties N=506	Forties N=500
Aware of gathering points	76.2%	80.4%	72.0%
Not really aware	21.0%	16.6%	25.4%
Not aware at all	2.8%	3.0%	2.6%

Q2: In the future when using your credit card for shopping, do you want to be aware of gathering points, miles, etc? (Sample size=1,006)

	All	Thirties N=506	Forties N=500
Want to be aware of gathering points	79.6%	83.0%	76.2%
Don’t plan to be really aware	18.8%	15.2%	22.4%
Don’t plan to be aware at all	1.6%	1.8%	1.4%

Q3: What are the good points about electronic money? (Sample size=1,006, multiple answer)

Don’t have pocketfuls of change, no worries about mistakes in change	62.5%
Can pay quickly, simply, easily	53.9%
Can save points, miles, get special discounts, etc	48.1%
Can pay by mobile phone	39.7%
Can shop easily at my usual shops	33.0%
No worries about carrying cash, can use tricks to manage my money	28.8%
Can carry fewer cards	11.9%
It’s just smart and cool to shop the trendy way	4.5%
Other	0.5%
Don’t really feel any particular merits	7.6%

Note that Q4 should have been the current version of Q5 below, but they published a different set of results, which I’ve had to guess a question text for.

Q4: When shopping online, other than by credit card, how do you settle the bill? (Sample size=online shoppers, multiple answer)

Prepay electronic money	59.2%
Online bank transfer	30.7%
Cash card, debit card	18.7%
Settlement at convenience store	11.9%
Postpay electronic money	15.2%
Online electronic money	8.8%
Settlement through service provider	4.3%

Q5: In the future, when paying with electronic money, which would you like to use? (Sample size=1,006)

Postpay	27.0%
Can’t say	27.7%
Prepay	45.2%

Q6: What do you think are the good points about postpay electronic case? (Sample size=272, postpay users, multiple answer)

Don’t need to fill up with cash before	77.2%
Can get points, miles, other bonuses	55.9%
Can pay at the end of the month all in one go	54.8%
After usage the balance gets settled from my bank account	52.6%
Don’t need to sign when paying	40.4%
Other	0.7%

Q7: What are the important points if you were to, when you did select a postpay electronic money service? (Sample size=1,006, multiple answer)

Lots of places to use it	70.8%
Can easily use	33.6%
Can pay using mobile phone	27.0%
Can use at online shops	24.8%
Strength of the brand of the card issuer	15.0%
Can spend just a small amount each time	14.6%
Lots of card holders, members	10.7%
Quick to get started with the service	6.5%
Can spend a large amount each time	5.0%
Can easily donate points, cash to charity	2.2%
Other	3.0%

Q8: How satisfied are you with your smartphone’s support for electronic money payment systems? (Sample size=140, IC card-equipped smartphone users)

	All	NTT docomo N=68	au by KDDI N=35	SoftBank N37
Satisfied	60.0%	66.2%	60.0%	48.6%
Not particularly satisfied	40.0%	33.8%	40.0%	51.4%

Demographics

Between the 1st and 5th of July 2011 1,095 members of the goo Research monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 52.9% of the sample were male, 16.5% in their teens, 18.1% in their twenties, 21.5% in their thirties, 16.3% in their forties, 15.6% in their fifties, and 12.1% aged sixty or older.

I use PayPal as a holding account for receiving payments from advertising then paying out for online services, which seems to work out very well as my miscellaneous income nicely balances out with my outgoings such as web hosting.

I translated another similar survey on PayPal about a year ago, and as can be seen the usage and awareness of PayPal has marginally increased since then.

Research results

Q1: Have you done any online shopping within the past year? (Sample size=1,095)

Yes	89.5%
No	10.5%

The most popular way for paying for shopping online was with credit cards, with 702 having used that method within the last year, then 253 using bank transfers, and 135 using some form of online settlement service such as PayPal.

Q2: Do you know PayPal? (Sample size=1,095)

Have used	8.5%
Heard of it, but not used	33.9%
Not heard of it	57.6%

Demographics

Over the 6th and 7th of July 2010 1,156 members of the goo Research online monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 53.1% of the sample were male, 16.5% in their teens, 19.6% in their twenties, 20.8% in their thirties, 15.8% in their forties, and 27.2% aged fifty or older.

My IC card cash gets used on public transport and convenience stores only. All the other shops that accept it also accept the credit card portion, and most of them also award 3% points instead of just 1%, so it’s an easy choice. Furthermore, they more often than not don’t even ask for a PIN when using credit, so the extra effort required is minimal.

Research results

Q1: Do you have a credit card form-factor contactless electronic cash card like Edy, Suica, etc? (Sample size=1,156)

Yes (to SQ1)	53.9%
Used to	5.5%
No	37.8%
Don’t know what that is	2.8%

Q1SQ1: Do you currently use your IC card-type electronic cash? (Sample size=623, multiple answer)

Yes (to SQ2, SQ3)	93.7%
No	6.3%

That makes it 50.5% of the sample actually using their IC card electronic cash.

Q1SQ2: At what kinds of locations do you use IC card-type electronic cash? (Sample size=584, multiple answer)

	Votes	Percentage
Public transport (train, bus, etc)	437	74.8%
Convenience store	287	49.1%
In-station shop	217	37.2%
Vending machine	188	32.2%
Supermarket	159	27.2%
Fast food restaurant	63	10.8%
Book store	46	7.9%
Electrical superstore	43	7.4%
Drug store	41	7.0%
Restaurant	39	6.7%
Cafe, coffee shop	29	5.0%
Department store	19	3.3%
Online shopping	14	2.4%
Taxi	10	1.7%
Work, school restaurant	10	1.7%
Hospital	3	0.5%
Other	11	1.9%

Q1SQ3: About how much per month do you spend on average using your IC card-type electronic cash? (Sample size=584)

Less than 1,000 yen	17.1%
1,000 to 1,999 yen	20.9%
2,000 to 2,999 yen	15.4%
3,000 to 4,999 yen	14.6%
5,000 to 9,999 yen	16.3%
10,000 to 29,999 yen	9.8%
30,000 to 49,999 yen	1.9%
50,000 to 99,999 yen	1.7%
100,000 yen or more	2.4%

Demographics

Between the 23rd and 26th of April 2010 1,085 members of the goo Research online monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 52.7% of the sample were male, 16.3% in their teens, 18.2% in their twenties, 21.7% in their thirties, 16.1% in their forties, and 27.6% aged fifty or older.

Although the security of the IC chip itself within most Japanese credit cards and mobile phones is well proven, thus by extension on the reader devices, I am unaware of how good or bad the security on the surrounding applications are. Regardless, a number of the higher-end notebook computers these days come with a built-in IC card reader chip so that online shopping checkout can be paid for by electronic money on either a mobile phone or a credit card.

Research results

Q1: Do you have a credit card form-factor contactless electronic cash card like Edy, Suica, etc? (Sample size=1,085)

Yes	55.7%
Used to have one	3.3%
Never had one	37.7%
Don’t know what it is	3.3%

Out of the 55.7% or 604 people with such IC card electronic money, 570 people or 52.5% of the total sample actually used their cards. They were asked the following.

Q2: Do you have a contactless electronic cash card reader/writer? (Sample size=570)

Yes	19.3%
No (to SQ)	58.6%
Don’t know what it is (to SQ)	22.1%

Q2SQ: Would you like to use a contactless electronic cash card reader/writer in the future? (Sample size=460)

Want to use	52.8%
Don’t want to use	47.2%

Demographics

Between the 15th and 18th of February 2010 1,086 members of the goo Research monitor panel completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 52.8% of the sample were male, 15.9% in their teens, 18.0% in their twenties, 21.5% in their thirties, 16.3% in their forties, and 28.3% aged fifty or older.

Note that the survey is looking only at credit card form-factor cash, not IC chips embedded into mobile phones.

I use mine mostly for trains and in-station shops, as it doesn’t come out of my monthly budget. When I first got my card I did use it at a restaurant and book store, but I found out that thrice as many points were on offer if I used the credit card function instead!

Research results

Q1: Do you have contactless IC card-type of electronic cash? (Sample size=1,086)

Currently have (to SQs)	57.6%
Used to have	4.6%
Never had	34.7%
Don’t know what a contactless IC card is	3.0%

Although 626 people had electronic cash, only 593 people, or 94.7%, were currently using their card, although it didn’t report how the remaining 5.3% was split between ex-users and never used.

Q1SQ1: Why do you use IC card-type electronic cash? (Sample size=593, multiple answer)

	Votes	Percentage
Shortens payment time	380	64.1%
Can get points	301	50.8%
Don’t end up with a pocketful of change	246	41.5%
Can pay for things without carrying money	209	35.2%
Can use at shops I often visit	162	27.3%
Don’t need to pay attention to how much money I’m carrying	110	18.5%
Feature came with a cash card, season ticket, etc	69	11.6%
Handy to have a record of purchases	55	9.3%
Handy that I don’t have to go to the bank to withdraw money	47	7.9%
Safer than real money	26	4.4%
Other	22	3.7%

Q1SQ2: At what kinds of locations do you use IC card-type electronic cash? (Sample size=593, multiple answer)

	Votes	Percentage
Public transport (train, bus, etc)	420	70.8%
Convenience store	332	56.0%
In-station shops	207	34.9%
Supermarket	158	26.6%
Vending machine	151	25.5%
Fast food restaurant	62	10.5%
Electrical superstore	47	7.9%
Drug store	42	7.1%
Restaurant	31	5.2%
Book store	31	5.2%
Online shopping	20	3.4%
Cafe, coffee shop	17	2.9%
Department store	8	1.3%
Taxi	8	1.3%
Work, school restaurant	7	1.2%
Hospital	0	0.0%
Other	12	2.0%

Research results

Between the 30th of November and the 4th of December 2009 1,092 members of the goo Research internet monitor group completed a private online questionnaire. 53.6% of the sample were male, 16.1% in their teens, 18.7% int heir twenties, 21.7% in their thirties, 15.8% in their forties, and 27.7% aged fifty or older.

I’m really getting quite into my Stacia card, with most days seeing me buy a morning snack at a convenience store on the way to work, and at the weekends getting a bottle of water from a vending machine or a station kiosk. It’s easier to budget (or should that be cheat on my allowance?) too, as I don’t end up wasting my cash on lots of fiddly things.

Research results

Q1: Do you have Edy, Suica, other contactless IC Card-based electronic cash? (Sample size=1,092)

Yes (to SQs)	54.7%
Used to, but not now	4.2%
No, never	38.9%
Don’t know what electronic cash is	2.2%

Q1SQ1: About how often do you use your electronic cash? (Sample size=597)

Once a day or more	21.3%
Once every two or three days	18.9%
Once a week	24.0%
Once a month	15.9%
Less than that	12.6%
Don’t use it	7.4%

Q1SQ2: How long is it since you first started using electronic cash? (Sample size=597)

Less than three months	4.0%
Less than six months	3.6%
Less than a year	11.9%
Less than 18 months	10.5%
Less than two years	14.1%
Less than three years	21.2%
Three years or more	34.7%

Demographics

Between the 25th and 30th of September 2009 1,094 members of the goo Research monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 52.9% of the sample were male, 16.5% in their teens, 18.2% in their twenties, 21.2% in their thirties, 16.5% in their forties, and 27.5% aged fifty or older.

I don’t have an electronic cash-capable phone, but I recently bit the bullet and went for a smart card-based season ticket plus electronic cash functionality (Hankyu Stacia) and I must say it’s rather handy, although they have a horrendously unnecessarily complicated dual (could even be triple) parallel point system, although on my very first statement I got no points at all…

Research results

Q1: Do you have a contactless IC chip-based electronic cash in a credit card-sized form factor? (Sample size=1,094)

Have one or more	54.2%
Used to have one or more, but not now	4.8%
Never had any	38.3%
Don’t know what contactless IC chip electronic cash is	2.7%

Q2: Does your current mobile phone have Osaifu Keitai, a contactless IC chip-based electronic cash system? (Sample size=1,094)

Yes (to SQ)	49.5%
No	36.9%
Don’t know	8.6%
Don’t have a mobile phone	4.9%

Q2SQ: Have you used your mobile phone’s Osaifu Keitai functionality? (Sample size=542)

Yes	33.0%
No	67.0%

Combining the two we get:

Q2+Q2SQ: Have you used your mobile phone’s Osaifu Keitai functionality? (Sample size=1,094)

Yes	16.4%
No	33.1%
Don’t have Osaifu Keitai phone	36.9%
Don’t know if I have it	8.6%
Don’t have a mobile phone	4.9%

Demographics

Between the 1st and 4th of June 2009 1,106 members of the goo Research monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 53.2% of the sample were male, 16.6% in their teens, 18.4% in their twenties, 21.2% in their thirties, 16.3% in their forties, and 27.5% aged fifty or older.

The only electronic cash I use is at the work canteen and shop, which isn’t really electronic cash, I would argue; it uses the corporate credit card and gets charged through to my credit card just like a normal transaction – electronic cash to me has a rechargeable sum of cash stored in the card that gets subtracted from as you use. However, I don’t think this survey made such a subtle distinction.

Note that the survey concentrates on chipped credit cards, not mobile phones with the same chips.

Research results

Q1: Do you have an Edy, Suica or other contactless IC chipped credit card sized electronic cash card? (Sample size=1,106)

Yes	52.6%
Used to, but not now	4.4%
Never had one	40.1%
Don’t know what IC card-based electronic money is	2.9%

Of the 582 people who have such cards, there were 35 people who did not use the features, so the remaining 547 were asked the following questions.

Q2: Why do you use your electronic electronic cash cards? (Sample size=547, multiple answer)

	Votes	Percentage
Can shorten payment times	349	63.8%
Don’t fill up my pockets with loose change	225	41.1%
Can collect points	224	41.0%
Don’t need to carry cash with me	205	37.5%
Can use it at shops I often visit	136	24.9%
Don’t need to worry about how much money I’m carrying	82	15.0%
It’s combined with a cash card, season ticket, etc	72	13.2%
Convenient to have a record of spending	51	9.3%
Convenient to be able to add cash without having to visit the bank	48	8.8%
Safer than cash	30	5.5%
Other	17	3.1%

Q3: Where do you use your electronic electronic cash cards? (Sample size=547, multiple answer)

	Votes	Percentage
Public transport	382	69.8%
Convenience stores	281	51.4%
In-station shops	184	33.6%
Vending machines	152	27.8%
Supermarkets	111	20.3%
Book stores	51	9.3%
Drug stores	45	8.2%
Fast food restaurants	43	7.9%
Electrical superstores	40	7.3%
Restaurants	29	5.3%
Coffee shops	22	5.5%
On-line shopping	22	5.5%
Department stores	17	3.1%
Taxis	9	1.6%
Workplace, school cafereria, etc	8	1.5%
Hospitals	2	0.4%
Other	11	2.0%