Big data as data sources for Current Survey of Commerce :Test survey in large-scale speciality retailers for home electric appliances

1.Survey purpose

The test survey is conducted in order to seek the way of utilizing new data sources for one of the official statistics: the Current Survey of Commerce (part 2), the fundamental statistics survey under the Statistics Act. The test survey puts its focus on clarifying the trends in sales activities of large-scale speciality retailers for home electric appliances, by accessing big data, represented by scanner data (Point Of Sales data, hereinafter referred to as “POS data”). Viewing to put this alternative methodology into practical use, operation of official statistics' production shall be examined from long-term perspective. With the aim of acquiring knowledge to take further measures for the enhancement of official statistics, the test survey is likely to determine the feasibility of efficiency improvement mainly by reducing operation burdens of survey objects, of early publication attainment, furthermore, of grasping precise business confidence by means of subdividing outputs of statistical survey.

Top of Page

2.|History of survey

The test survey has been carried out since July 2018.

Top of Page

3.Legal framework

Statistics Act (Act No. 53 of 2007)

Top of Page

4.Survey scope

1)  Geographic scope

Japan nationwide

2)  Retailer scope

Businesses that have establishments classified as "5931 Electrical appliance stores, except secondhand goods" or "5932 Office machinery of electric appliance stores, except secondhand goods" in the Japan Standard Industrial Classification (Rev. 13, October 2013) and have 10 or more large-scale speciality retailers for home electric appliances with 500 ㎡ or more sales floor space.

Top of Page

5.Sample design

Complete sample

Definition of survey object aligning with that of the Current Survey of Commerce (part 2)

Top of Page

6.Survey items

1)  Definition of survey items

1. Name of enterprise, corporate number
2. Store number, prefecture number
3. Commodity sales
4. Commodity stocks at the end of term (at the end of March, June, September, December)

*No.1 to No.3 of the above are summarized based on scanner data (POS data), while No.4 is covered by transferring the information surveyed by the method of the Current Survey of Commerce (part 2), the fundamental statistics survey under the Statistics Act.

2)  Period coverage

Daily commodity sales data, including the past data, during January 1st, 2015 - December 31st, 2018.

The date of survey for commodity stocks is the end of term (March, June, September, December).

Top of Page

7.Questionnaire

1)  Questionnaire design

Test survey: In the area of large-scale speciality retailers for home electric appliances

- For general submission: July 2018 - December 2018 (plan)

- For initial submission: January 2015 - June 2018 (plan)

2)  Table of merchandise classification, correspondence table of prefectures and the Bureaus of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry

Table of merchandise classification

Correspondence table of prefectures and the Bureaus of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry

Top of Page

8.Date of survey

1)  Survey frequency

Daily (July 2018 - December 2018) (plan)

2)  Term for questionnaire submission

Term for submission is the following day of the date of survey.

With regards to the commodity stocks at the end of term, term for submission is the 15th of the following month of the date of survey

Top of Page

9.Survey method, route

1)  Organizations related to the survey

Japan Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI)

|

Entrusted private enterprise

|

Survey objects

2)  Survey methodology (online survey)

Survey objects send necessary big data, such as scanner data (POS data) of survey items No.1 to No.3, via VPN to the entrusted private enterprise, by the following day of the date of survey. The entrusted private enterprise summarize survey items, sent from the survey objects, into questionnaire format with referring mainly to the table of merchandise classification and the correspondence table of prefectures and the Bureaus of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. Survey objects confirm the questionnaire information which was sent back from the entrusted private enterprise, then the entrusted private enterprise submits it to the government 2 days after the date of survey.

Top of Page

10.State of outsourcing to the private sector

The test survey is outsourced to GfK Marketing Services Japan Ltd. (Corporate Number: 9011201002271), mainly for the purpose of data collection, encoding, questionnaire creation, sending reminders, inquiry responding, examination, confirmation and aggregation/analysis.

Top of Page

1.Publication schedule of survey results

2019-02-28 Results of the test survey published.（Japanese Only）

Table 1 Sales value by goods and the percentage change from the same month(same week)/term of the previous year

Table 2 Sales value by regional bureaus of METI and the percentage change from the same month(same week)/term of the previous year

Table 3 Sales value by prefectures and the percentage change from the same month(same week)/term of the previous year

Table 4 Commodity stocks and inventory ratio by goods and the percentage change from the same term of the previous year

Top of Page