Survey Overview This is a distribution and service industry survey and analysis report (Report Number: 1000064) conducted by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) in FY2024. It analyzes the innovative development of distribution and service industries in response to digitalization progress and changes in consumer behavior.
Structural Changes in the Industry While the e-commerce market size is 22.7 trillion yen (8.6% increase from the previous year), physical store sales decreased by 5.2%. Industry restructuring is accelerating due to omnichannel development. The industry faces major structural changes due to changes in consumption behavior from the COVID-19 pandemic, digital technology advancement, and labor shortages.
E-commerce and Omnichannel Strategy Optimization of distribution systems for the digital age will be pursued through expansion of online-offline integrated services, promotion of logistics DX, and efficiency improvement of last-mile delivery. Support for SME retail digitalization, promotion of platform utilization, and customer service improvement through data utilization will be promoted.
Service Industry Productivity Improvement The promotion of both labor shortage resolution and productivity improvement will be pursued through promoting introduction of automation and labor-saving technologies in labor-intensive service industries such as food service, accommodation, and medical/welfare services, expanding utilization of foreign workers, and responding to diverse working styles.
Expected Effects The goal is to improve added value for the entire service industry through 15% improvement in distribution industry labor productivity, achieving 50% digitalization rate in service industries, and 20% increase in inbound consumption.