Changing consumer values and behavior in Japan: Adaptation of keio department Store Shinjuku

Abstract

Japan has been the most aged society in the world since the early 1990s. Retailers in Japan now face various changes in the business environment, including demographic change, economic globalization, development of information technology, and changes in consumer's values and behavior. The consumer values and behavior in Japan reflect a characteristic transition in the retail sector, in which department stores have been a major force. The Keio Department Store in Shinjuku has been gearing its business toward seniors since the mid-1990s. The purpose of this chapter is to examine how an organization adapts to a changing business environment by exploring Keio Department Store Shinjuku as a case of a senior-focused retailer, extracting factors that are important in tailoring business practices. © 2008 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.