🌸Japanese Customer : Japanese Customer News July 18th 2015

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July 17, 2015

Japanese Customer News July 18th 2015

Japanese Customer News July 18th 2015






Japanese Customer News July 18th 2015





1. a ”hotel in southwestern Japan - aptly named the Weird Hotel - is "manned" almost entirely by robots to save on labour costs.....Another feature of the hotel is the use of facial recognition technology, instead of the standard electronic keys, by registering the digital image of the guest's face during check-in….. Staying at Henn na Hotel starts at 9000 yen ($A100), a bargain for Japan, where a stay in one of the nicer hotels can easily cost twice or three times as much…. In the hotel's rooms, a lamp-sized robot in the shape of a fat pink tulip called Tuly answers simple questions like "What time is it?" and "What is the weather tomorrow?" You can also tell it to turn the room lights on or off. There are no switches on the walls.”



Source: Huis Ten Bosch robot Hotel Worlds First Robot Staffed Hotel Opens, July 16th, 2015. Associated Press, http://www.traveller.com.au/huis-ten-bosch-robot-hotel-japan-worlds-first-robotstaffed-hotel-opens-gidfef


2. “Japan is conducting a reshuffle of goods in its consumer price index basket that will ditch items on the kids’ menu in exchange for hearing aids to reflect changes in consumer spending caused by its rapidly aging population……Japan has the highest percentage of people aged 65 or more among countries belonging to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. Japan also has one of the lowest fertility rates in the OECD, and its graying demographics are changing consumption…..The Ministry of Internal Affairs, which compiles CPI, will remove 32 items in total from the basket and add 33 new items, according to a proposal on its website. Once the revisions are complete, there will be 585 items in the basket.”


Source: As population ages, Happy Meals make way for hearing aids in Japan CPI reshuffle, Reuters, July 18th, 2015, http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/07/18/business/as-population-ages-happy-meals-make-way-for-hearing-aids-in-japan-cpi-reshuffle/#.VasJ2uL3_Gd


3. “Netflix said that membership jumped 3.3 million last quarter, crediting original shows such as "Orange is the New Black" that have been hits with viewers…Netflix is to make its debut in Asia with a launch in Japan by November. It is slated to arrive in Spain, Italy, and Portugal in the final quarter of this year.” Along with investing in supporting more languages and show libraries tailored to various markets, Netflix is making a priority of optimizing its service on mobile devices since they are the main tools for accessing the Internet in emerging markets, according to the company.”


Source: Membership jumps as Netflix pumps original shows, July 16th, 2015, http://www.japantoday.com/category/entertainment/view/membership-jumps-as-netflix-pumps-original-shows



4. “People in Japan are spending less time watching television, although many still see it as a vital media source, according to Japan’s national broadcaster. Some 6% of respondents to a survey by the NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institution said they don’t watch TV at all, up from 4% five years ago, when the survey was last conducted. And the number watching between 30 minutes and two hours per day rose to 38% from 35%, while the number of heavier watchers fell slightly.The change isn’t dramatic, but it’s notable because the trend had been steadily upward for decades. NHK said it’s the first time since the survey’s inception in 1985 that the proportion of people who watched television for more than five hours a day decreased. The fall in television viewing was particularly high among young adults, with the proportion of people in their 20s who reported not watching television at all doubling.”



Source: Japan Spends Less Time Watching Television By Lisa Du, Wall Street Japan, July 8th, 2015, http://blogs.wsj.com/japanrealtime/2015/07/08/japan-spends-less-time-watching-television/?mod=newsree


5. “Panasonic Corp. is offering to make small lifelike statues of its customers. The plaster figurines can be placed on the mantelpiece just like a photograph. The company introduced the service at the Panasonic Center Osaka in Osaka's Kita Ward on July 17.The figurine stands at one-10th of human size and prices start from 55,000 yen ($447), excluding tax. At the Osaka showroom, 120 SLR Panasonic cameras take pictures of the customer from various angles and three weeks later the figurine is delivered.”



Source: Panasonic offers to make customers statuesque, July 18, 2015, The Asahi Shimbun, http://ajw.asahi.com/article/business/AJ201507180026





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