How much are you willing to pay for a convenience store onigiri (rice ball)? We asked GIGAZINE readers.

When buying rice balls at a convenience store, the price at which people feel they are willing to buy them varies from person to person. Therefore, we conducted a survey among GIGAZINE readers to find out 'how much they would be willing to pay for a single convenience store rice ball.'

First, we asked people 'What price range would you be willing to pay for a single rice ball at a convenience store?' and the results were as follows:

The responses were heavily concentrated around 150 yen, and when tallied in 10-yen increments, the most common range was 150-159 yen, accounting for 21.5% of the total. The next most common ranges were 200-209 yen at 12.7% and 120-129 yen at 9.9%.

Looking at the responses by price range, 71.7% of all responses were concentrated in the 100-199 yen range, and when expanded to 100-249 yen, 89.3% fell within this range. It seems that many readers have the feeling that 'a single convenience store rice ball costs no more than 250 yen.'

On the other hand, only 6.6% of respondents spent between 250 yen and 299 yen, and 2.8% spent between 300 yen and 400 yen. The average amount was 169.4 yen, and the median was 151 yen.

The 'acceptable price' for convenience store rice balls seems to be related to how much weight one rice ball represents in a typical food budget. So, we asked people, 'How much do you spend per day on breakfast, lunch, snacks, and dinner?' and the results were as follows:

·breakfast

For breakfast, '0 yen' was the most common response at approximately 26.2%. Among those who paid a price, '500 yen' was the most frequent response at approximately 18.3%, followed by '300 yen' at approximately 13.9% and '200 yen' at approximately 12.6%. Broken down by price range, 26.2% paid 0 yen, 34.6% paid between 1 yen and 300 yen, 25.0% paid between 301 yen and 500 yen, 12.5% paid between 501 yen and 1000 yen, and 1.7% paid 1001 yen or more. The majority of breakfast responses were under 500 yen, with an average of approximately 315.8 yen and a median of 300 yen.

·lunch

For lunch, '500 yen' was the most common answer at approximately 17.1%, followed by '1000 yen' at approximately 15.7%. Broken down by price range, 30.1% spent less than 500 yen, 57.2% spent between 500 and 1000 yen, 10.6% spent between 1001 and 1500 yen, and 2.2% spent 1501 yen or more. While most respondents said they wanted to keep their lunch expenses between 500 and 1000 yen, about 30% said they wanted to keep it under 500 yen. The average was approximately 651.8 yen, and the median was 600 yen.

·snack

For snacks, '0 yen' was the most common answer at approximately 31.8%, followed by '200 yen' at approximately 16.8%, '300 yen' at approximately 15.1%, '100 yen' at approximately 12.2%, and '500 yen' at approximately 11.1%. Looking at the breakdown by price range, 0 yen accounted for 31.8%, 1 yen to 300 yen for 44.1%, 301 yen to 500 yen for 15.9%, 501 yen to 1000 yen for 6.5%, and 1001 yen or more for 1.8%. Snacks were concentrated in the 0 yen or 300 yen or less range, with an average of approximately 245.8 yen and a median of 200 yen.

·dinner

For dinner, the most common answer was '1,000 yen' at 19.9%, followed by '500 yen' at 12.1%, '800 yen' at 8.7%, and '1,500 yen' at 7.7%. Broken down by price range, 18.3% spent less than 500 yen, 54.3% spent between 500 and 1,000 yen, 17.0% spent between 1,001 and 1,500 yen, and 10.4% spent 1,501 yen or more. While most respondents wanted to keep their dinner expenses between 500 and 1,000 yen, a certain number were willing to spend up to around 1,500 yen. The average was approximately 909.5 yen, and the median was 900 yen.

Since the prices of rice balls and other food items vary from convenience store to convenience store, we asked GIGAZINE readers, allowing multiple answers, which convenience store chains they frequently use, as a basis for understanding their price perceptions.

The results showed that the most frequently used convenience store among GIGAZINE readers was 'Seven-Eleven' at 65.3%. This was followed by 'FamilyMart' at 58.8% and 'Lawson' at 53.6%. On the other hand, 9.7% answered 'None in particular / I don't use convenience stores,' indicating that over 90% of GIGAZINE readers frequently use convenience stores.

When we asked those who selected 'Other' to provide free-response answers, they mentioned ' Bellmart ,' which is mainly operated by JR Tokai Retailing Plus within JR Tokai stations; 'Fuji Family Shop,' a local convenience store in Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture, which is the only one of its kind in the country; and 'Hamanasu Club,' a local convenience store operated by Seiko Fresh Foods.

In this survey, the acceptable price for convenience store rice balls was strongly concentrated around 150 yen, with approximately 90% of respondents choosing prices under 250 yen. Since the median breakfast cost was 300 yen and the median snack cost was 200 yen, a rice ball costing in the upper 200 yen range would likely feel quite heavy as a single breakfast or snack.

Furthermore, it was found that more than half of GIGAZINE readers use all three major convenience store chains—Seven-Eleven, FamilyMart, and Lawson—and that over 90% of readers use convenience stores on a daily basis. If you want to appeal to GIGAZINE readers with food, beverages, daily necessities, or convenience store products, one method is to place sponsored articles targeting this readership.

So, why not promote your products and services to GIGAZINE readers? If you're interested in having an article published on GIGAZINE, please feel free to contact us through the advertising information site below!

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