Japan Convenience Store Sales:

 https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20201221/p2g/00m/0bu/089000c 

Ideas and Analysis:

There seems to be two trends related to convenience store sales; sales seem to be decreasing but average spending per person seems to have increased.

The article doesn't mention online sales of convenience stores, which might be a way to increase sales with some stores.

For example, a combination of online sales and deliveries to customers nearby such as in business offices and other places if those still working in offices don't want to go out for their lunch of convenience store bento, lunch sets, and or onigiri, triangular rice, green tea, and or whatever they might want for their lunch.

Of course it might not be profitable to do deliveries for just one small item from a convenience stores but convenience stores could look into the idea of a minimum order for a delivery to an area close to the stores.

There would seem to be a lot of room for innovation in the convenience store market.

As with previous articles it has been shown that with the virus some office workers are working from home and not visiting the convenience stores near where they work.

It interesting like the Japanese car market there are seven major convenience store operators in Japan. It would appear that both the car market and the convenience store market that seven or eight operators would be too many for all to survive. 

The Japanese market is very competitive but at the same time there seems to be some kind of symbiotic relationship of cooperation and or "live and let live" cooperation in that companies are not out to dominate the market and seem to accept a lot of players in the same market. 

The idea of a "live and let live" existence seems to be in many sectors in the Japanese market. Competition yes, "but we are not going to dominate and force you out of the market." 

I also see a somewhat balanced economy in that small business, medium sized businesses and large conglomerates, for the most part, seem to have a symbiotic relationship in that small companies are just as important as the large well known global companies. 

The heart of any economy around the world are the small and medium sized businesses, but in Japan, even more, the small business seemed, before the pandemic, to be the backbone of the economy and society. 

Yes the major output of any economy are large businesses that get all the news but the small and medium size business really drive the Japanese economy, or so it seemed, before the pandemic. 

The Japanese economy and society thrives on relationships and that is no more apparent than the web and symbiotic relationships that exist among the small and medium sized businesses that operate in some form and connection with each other and the large companies that they may provide services and or products to each other.

Have a nice day and be safe out there!