Distribution Information May 2026 Issue: A Multi-Angle Analysis of the Changing Consumer Profile

In recent years, consumer purchasing behavior and values have changed significantly amid rising prices, lifestyle shifts, and the advance of digitalization. This special feature analyzes the changing consumer profile from multiple perspectives through public statistics, purchasing data, consumer surveys, and corporate interviews. Details of the May 2026 issue of Distribution Information include: “Consumption Trends Seen Through Public Statistics,” by Shotaro Tanimichi, Director of the Consumption Statistics Division at the Statistics Bureau of Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, analyzes recent consumption trends such as consumer spending, cashless payments, and online shopping usage based on official statistics from the Statistics Bureau. “Interview: AEON TOPVALU’s Product Strategy” features an interview with Mikio Takahashi, Director and Head of the Product Development Division at AEON TOPVALU Co., Ltd. The interview is conducted by Hiroshi Nakamura, Director of the Distribution Economics Institute of Japan and Professor Emeritus at Chuo University. It introduces the company’s private brand strategy, development of organic products, and initiatives to attract younger consumers. “Changes in Shopping Attitudes Under Inflation and Key Points of Interest,” by Masuji Ikeda, Senior Researcher at the Distribution Economics Institute of Japan, analyzes consumers’ defensive attitudes toward household spending, store selection, and changes in private brand use under inflation, based on a survey of 1,671 women in the Tokyo metropolitan area. “Reclassifying Retail Formats Based on Product Assortment and Price Positioning, and Changes in Purchasing Behavior,” by Tomohito Arase, Researcher at the Distribution Economics Institute of Japan, introduces a new classification of retail formats based on product assortment and price positioning to analyze changes in purchasing behavior. “An Empirical Study on Consumers’ Dietary Lifestyles,” by Yutaka Suzuki, Specially Appointed Researcher at the Distribution Economics Institute of Japan and Representative of Ichikawa Marketing Research Institute, classifies modern dietary lifestyles based on a survey of 4,352 people, focusing on cluster analysis of behaviors combining home cooking and prepared foods, referred to as hybrid eating behavior. The issue also includes the perspective article “How Users Should Collaborate with Generative AI,” by Eisaku Sato, Councilor of the Distribution Economics Institute of Japan and Professor at Chiba University, as well as a new book introduction for Tatsuro Watanabe and Maki Yamazaki’s Kanda Jimbocho Used Bookstore District and Its Association Organization: Focusing on the Changing Roles Under Wartime Controls, written by Rika Fujioka, Professor at the Graduate School of Economics, the University of Tokyo. The issue was published on Monday, May 11, 2026. Details are available at: https://www.dei.or.jp/information/info01 Distribution Information is a research information magazine consisting of insider reports focused on topics in distribution activities and marketing. It provides original content unavailable elsewhere, including reports by researchers at the institute, for a wide range of readers in fields such as the food industry, retail, wholesale, logistics, as well as researchers and students. Distribution Information is published by the Distribution Economics Institute of Japan. It is issued bimonthly, six times a year. Subscription benefits include access to the digital edition, unlimited reading of content published since January 2017, and user-friendly PDF downloads. Content details: https://www.dei.or.jp/information/info01. Subscription application: https://www.dei.or.jp/information/info_log.php. The annual subscription fee is 33,000 yen, consisting of a base price of 30,000 yen plus 3,000 yen consumption tax.