IN JAPAN, IT'S LOOK HOMEWARD, WEB SURFER SURE, EVERYONE KNOWS that a majority of the traffic on the Internet and its World Wide Web is generated in the U.S. But with more than 734,400 Net host computers and with an estimated 6.7 million online users, Japan is running a strong second. A recent report by TK Associates International Inc., a market research organization in Portland, Ore., has some revealing findings about that market. One of the most radical shifts is how and why most Japanese online subscribers are using the Net. Fully two-thirds of the 20,600 people surveyed say that they log on from home (chart). That's quite a change from just two years ago, when it was 25% from home and more than 50% from work, says TK Associates President Tim Clark. The reason for the change? Instead of using the Web for work research, 83% say they use it for entertainment and getting information about their hobbies. Such a shift could bode well for electronic commerce: While only 23% of all Japanese respondents have actually made purchases through the Net, 90% report that they are favorably disposed toward Internet shopping. EDITED BY PAUL M. ENG RELATED ITEMS CHART: More Leisure Use of the Net

Updated July 4, 1997 by bwwebmaster
Copyright 1997, by The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. All rights reserved.
Terms of Use