- A return to the home seen as a "nest".
- An increase in sales through the Internet - demonstrating the desire to shop “at my own pace".
- Higher expectations in matters of "health" and "environment": "Consider, for example, Coca-Cola's I LOHAS (Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability) Water, whose selling points include a reduced carbon footprint: bottles are Made from 12 grams of recycled PET plastic (rather than the standard 26 grams) that can be twisted and compressed when recycled. I LOHAS is also bottled locally, reducing transportation costs. Less than 12 months after its launch, It has become Japan's top-selling brand of single-serve bottled water”.
- A quest for the most competitive prices ("Return to value") - we see that sales of private labels are finally developing in Japan.
Luxury brands are directly affected by this reversal, as the recent changes in the Ginza landscape show - until quite recently one of the areas that luxury brands invested heavily in:
- A Gucci store has been replaced by a American mall brand, Forever 21.
- In December 2008 Vuitton announced they were dropping the project to open a new store (there are already two!): Gap will be opening there instead.
- Uniqlo has expanded its flagship sales point by taking over the two floors left vacant by Brooks Brothers.
- H & M and Zara set up shop there in 2008.
- Tony Burch, the mid-range American brand, has recently opened - with intensive advertising in the metro.