Japan March Retail Sales Jumped For Eight Straight Month

Japan's retail sales rose in March as households paid more for gasoline and food, leaving them less to spend on clothing and furniture.

As per the news published by Market Watch, Japan retail sales climbed 1.1% in March, 2008 from a year earlier, after gaining 3.2% in February, 2008 and 1.3% in January, 2008, according to data released by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry Monday.

Sales at fuel retailers rose 4.0% year-on-year, while sales at food and beverage retailers edged up 0.6%. Sales at large retail stores rose 0.2% after adjustments for the change in the number of stores, and rose 1.8% on an unadjusted basis. Sales at wholesalers rose 1.8%, while commercial sales (combined sales at wholesalers and retailers) were up 1.7%.

The figures reflect only sales in stores and shops, and excluded Internet retailing as well as spending at facilities such as gyms, restaurants and theaters.

“The gain in retail sales is a reflection of rising costs of fuel, not strong consumer spending,” said Mamoru Yamazaki, chief Japan economist at RBS Securities Japan Ltd. in Tokyo. “Consumption doesn't have momentum and downward risks are increasing as inflation outpaces wage growth.'”

This increase in retail sales is driven by household spending on food and gasoline. At the same time Japanese retail sales is supported by recent introduction of new models which increased the car sales. Sales of electronics also helped to climb the retail sale by increasing consumer appetite for flat-screen televisions.

According to industry expert the sales rise at fuel retailers may have weighed as investors probably waited for the gasoline surcharge expiration on April 1.

As per the research analyst at Arth Business Research, “The increase in retail sales is expected to go further up in the coming month due to increasing fuel prices. Also introduction of new models by the car manufacturing company and the increasing demand for electronic gadgets is expected to push up the retail sales”.

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Global Mobile Handset Sales Grew At 14.3% in the First Quarter of 2008

Despite Many Backdrops the mobile handset sales grew at 14.3% with strong demand in emerging markets, particularly in Africa and Asia.

Global mobile phone sales continued to surge in the first-quarter(January-March, 2008), with shipments reaching 282 million despite a global economic slowdown and skyrocketing food prices in poorer countries, research firm Strategy Analytics said Friday (24 April 2008).

Top handset maker Nokia Corp. kept its position at No. 1, slightly increasing market share to 41 percent in the three months through March 31. Korean handset maker Samsung Electronics remained at the No. 2 spot, boosting its market share to 16 percent, while U.S. handset maker Motorola Corp. fell just below 10 percent but stayed at No. 3.

The main reason for this worldwide growth is strong demand in emerging markets, particularly in Africa and Asia. Demand for handsets in this low cost segment was high in the first quarter (January-March) of 2008, driving worldwide shipment growth. Many emerging markets continue to offer tremendous growth potential and highly competitive pricing and innovative service plans which kept the overall market on track for this quarter (January-March) of 2008.

In contrast, more mature regions are increasingly characterized by highly competitive markets for replacement handsets and somewhat slower shipment growth.

According to industry analysts, disposable income is being eroded by inflating food and fuel prices and worries about global financial markets and slow economic growth are creating a cautious outlook for the months ahead to come in 2008.

According to research analyst at Arth Business Research, "In the months to come, it is expected that against many backdrops of slowing down world economy, skyrocketing inflation supported by high food and oil prices backdrop, many emerging markets will continue to offer tremendous growth potential and highly competitive pricing and innovative service plans will keep the overall market on track for the year. Demand for handsets in the low cost segment will still remain present in certain emerging markets throughout 2008, driving worldwide shipment growth."

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The U.S. Mobile Gaming Industry Is Getting Ready To Rock

The U.S. mobile gaming industry is getting ready to mark year 2008 as a turning point. Mobile gaming industries are going to go a level up to reach the casual consumers. The industry players are using various strategic steps to get the benefit of a good looking growth potential in the area.
That's because people are snapping up better handsets that offer a faster connection to the network.

Industry players are gearing up to bring new games and getting into various tie-ups. Greystripe is going to offer titles from Vivendi games mobile in new ''try before you buy'' preview games category whereas AOL is getting ready to launch Ad-Supported mobile gaming portal.
Also Hands-On Mobile Inc., the world's leading developer of connected games and applications, in partnership with Activision, Inc. announced highly successful Guitar Hero(R) III Mobile game to be available on BlackBerry smart phones from Research in Motion (RIM).

Leading Japanese mobile game developer DeNA Co., which is based in Toyko, has also decided to break into the U.S. market, and is having plans to launch its enormously successful "Mobage-town" in the U.S. this summer. Japanese consumers have flocked to "Mobage-town," a combination of a social networking and gaming site, since it opened there in February 2006. (In its first 26 days, 100,000 users signed up; membership has climbed steadily since then to reach more than 9 million users by the end of January 2008.)

Mobile handset producer Finland's Nokia is also betting on the U.S. mobile gaming market and is changing for the better. The Nokia N-Gage platform was released in the U.S. and globally in November 2007 on Nokia's N-series and S-60 third-edition phones.

Mobile games provide a quick distraction through casual games rather than the more involving experience found on the console. That distinction has made it a tricky endeavor for the major game developers.

The mobile gaming business is a tough one, but the rewards are there. According to analysts opportunities overseas and, in particular, the emerging markets, where the lower cost of production and distribution may make it a potentially more profitable than the console business.
According to the study by IDATE, mobile gaming will be one of the most sought-after applications for cellular phone users, in next five years.

By the end of 2012, annual revenue from mobile video game downloads should reach €3.3 billion (US$4.8 billion) in the three largest gaming markets (Europe, Japan, and the U.S.), and €6.5 billion (US$9.6 billion) worldwide.

“The main conditions for change are now becoming established: broadband networks are being deployed, usage is confirmed with new game genres, handsets can now compare with dedicated gaming platforms, publishers are perfecting their editorial strategies and digital distribution services are taking shape” reported IDATE Project Manager, Laurent Michaud.

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