CReATION: WAP phones win the hearts of Japan's youth

The mobile phone has emerged as the most popular communication

platform for young 'Net users in Japan.

Hakuhodo's recent consumer report - Japan's Keitai e-life - found one in

10 Japanese were Keitai (mobile phone) users.

Although 65.4 per cent of WAP phone users also had access to the

Internet via a PC, half did not use a computer to log on to the Web.

As WAP phones were widely used by young, trendy Japanese, the report

predicted that third generation (3G) mobile phones would feature more

intricate e-functions, providing various information and ecommerce

services.

The top three features sought after in 3G phones included global

services, car navigation services and enhanced newsgroup

information.

Given the popularity of WAP phones among young people, Japanese

marketers were keen to explore ecommerce and marketing activities on the

phone.

More than 60 per cent of 19 to 29 year-olds using WAP phones were active

short message services (SMS) users, marking a potentially effective

platform for marketing and advertising.

According to the survey, Japanese consumers preferred virtual shopping

through WAP phones for simple transactions, such as paying utility bills

and purchasing concert and cinema tickets.

"Real" shopping was considered more suitable when making complex

transactions involving a variety of categories and brand selections,

such as buying cosmetics, foods and jewellery.

In terms of competitiveness, many Japanese noted WAP phones were more

convenient than PCs when shopping with credit.

The survey found WAP phones were considered more safe and reliable

because users trusted the medium more in terms of privacy issues and

transactions.

Nevertheless, PC and WAP phones were graded almost equally for their

ability to satisfy shopping needs on demand.

The PC was seen as a better medium in terms of offering goods and

services from anywhere, getting information and using your favourite

services.

With the convergence of PC and WAP phones in ecommerce, it is predicted

that online shopping will grow more in the future with one-tenth of

personal shopping being done online.

MIT Media Lab director Nicholas Negroponte said: "The global ecommerce

market might expand rapidly into US$2 trillion by the end of

2003 ... Japanese are quickly becoming active consumers in the world of

ecommerce."

On average, Japanese consumers spend about 13,000 yen (US$118)

each time they are online and use ecommerce services twice a month.