TOKYO, April 15 — Online purchase of Japanese food is becoming a preferred channel for Chinese consumers, especially young professionals, a survey conducted by the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) has found.
The Japanese governmental export agency conducted the survey in August 2017 to look for export opportunities of Japanese-grown produce.
It questioned 1,224 middle-class Chinese, aged between 20 and 49, who live in six major cities such as Beijing and Shanghai and earn more than 5,000 yuan a month.
The survey shows that 83 percent of Chinese respondents said they have bought imported food from e-commerce sites.
Moreover, the most popular origin of food imports in the e-commerce market was Japanese-grown products, accounting for 55 percent of all. The second was South Korea (42%), followed by the U.S. (32%).
The findings also revealed that for Chinese consumers, when they purchase products online, important things are an assurance they can have confidence in the products as well as products that they can’t buy in China.
Among Chinese consumers who bought Japanese foods, those aged between 25 and 29 were the highest, accounting for 61 percent of all.
The JETRO pointed out that young Chinese, especially who were born in the one-child policy, preferred Japanese-grown produce.