What is selling in the last minute demand before the consumption tax hike? September 16, 13:58

It has been about two weeks before the consumption tax rate has been raised to 10%, and rush demand has begun at mass consumer electronics stores. What is selling?

Sales of TVs and washing machines grow

Consumer electronics mass retailers are seeing a surge in sales of TVs and washing machines with high functionality and relatively high prices, which are seen as a last-minute demand.

According to Bic Camera, a major consumer electronics retailer, the number of 4K-quality organic EL TVs sold in this month will increase 3.5 times compared to the same period of the previous year, mainly in the price range of 200,000 to 250,000 yen. It means that. The number of drum-type washing machines sold has increased 2.5 times and the number of refrigerators has doubled.

A woman in her 60s who bought a refrigerator said, “I wanted to buy it before, but I realized that there was no day until the tax increase, so I came to buy it.”

“We believe that sales of high-priced products are growing significantly and the impact of rush demand before the tax increase is significant. We want to capture demand for the rest of the period "

According to BCN, a research company that analyzes sales data from home electronics mass retailers nationwide, the number of digital home appliances such as TVs and PCs sold in the first week of this month is the same as the previous year. That is an increase of 10.9%. According to the company, “the last-minute demand is currently smaller than the tax increase five years ago, but the last-minute purchases are likely to increase during the remaining period.”

Purchase daily necessities at home centers

At home centers, sales of relatively expensive products such as electric bicycles are strong, and there are also movements to buy daily items such as tissue paper.

At “Keiyo”, which has more than 170 home centers in the Tokyo metropolitan area, sales from this month have increased substantially by 4 times for electric bicycles and 2.5 times for storerooms compared to the same period last year. It means that you are doing.

Furthermore, as the consumption tax rate is approaching, sales of daily necessities such as tissue paper and toilet paper have increased by about 1.2 times, and sales of detergents are expected to increase in the future. At a store in Tama City, Tokyo, we saw a shopper buying goods together.

Among them, a woman in her 40s says, “I want to buy toilet paper, tissue paper, and detergent before the house is out of stock, because it's better to buy something that is used everyday.” It was.

The person in charge at the KAYO D2 Karakida store says, “The sales of high-priced products and daily necessities are doing well. I want to prepare well according to customer trends.”

Department stores differ in sales by product

Major department stores are seeing a surge in demand for expensive products such as jewelry and watches, while cosmetics and apparel are less likely to grow.

A major department store in Tokyo, Ginza, Matsuya Ginza, was crowded with many customers trying to shop before raising the consumption tax rate during the holidays. According to the company, jewelery sales have increased 2.3 times this month since the same period last year.

Above all, pearl necklaces and earrings are selling well for high-end products ranging from 200,000 yen to 300,000 yen, which is about twice the price range of ordinary items. In addition, sales of watches increased by 1.8 times compared to the same period last year, centering on products ranging from ¥ 300,000 to ¥ 400,000, which is tens of thousands of yen higher than usual sales.

A man in his 30s who purchased a 600,000 yen watch said, “We decided to purchase at this time because the tax rate would increase 2%. I feel the difference will increase as the price increases.”

On the other hand, sales of cosmetics and clothing also increased compared to the same period last year, but the sales growth rate was about 10 points lower than before the tax increase five years ago, and there was a difference in rush demand depending on the product. It means that.

Shinya Kono, General Manager of Matsuya Sales Promotion Division, said, “The sales of cosmetics increased at the time of the tax increase five years ago, but this time it has not increased more than expected. Consumption due to measures such as point reduction being taken up. The psychological burden on the person may be weak. "