Social Gifting Booms in Japan; Market Nearly Quadruples

Tokyo, Jan. 7 (Jiji Press)–The market for so-called “social gifts,” which allow people to send presents through social media or email, is expanding rapidly in Japan, with its size estimated at 600 billion yen this year, 3.8 times larger than six years ago, a private research firm said. Social gifts are sent by sharing a dedicated URL generated at the time of purchase. Recipients can download a digital voucher to pick up the gift at a store or enter their address online to get the item delivered. Most of the roughly 1.1 million products offered by online gift retailer Giftmall, operated by Giftmall Inc., can be sent also through the social-gifting system. The operator said sales generated through social gifts surged 3.5 times in the April-September period of 2025 from a year earlier. Use of social gifts is also spreading beyond family members and close friends, who are the main customer base. “They are increasingly being used for colleagues and bosses at work,” a Giftmall official said. A woman in her 30s who has used the service said she sent a digital cafe voucher to a co-worker as a small token of appreciation. “Not having to visit a store is a major advantage,” she said. Giftee Inc., a company listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange’s Prime section whose electronic gift certificate business mainly involves corporate and municipal clients, has also seen steady growth in individual membership, which reached 2.46 million as of the end of September. The company has expanded its lineup from standard items such as restaurant and convenience-store vouchers to higher-priced offerings including hotel accommodation vouchers. User demographics are broadening as well. While about 60 pct of users of LY Corp.’s “Line Gift” service, which links to the Line communication app, are in their 20s and 30s, the company said “use by people aged 40 and older, as well as by men, has been increasing.” According to Yano Research Institute Ltd., the size of the social-gifting market stood at about 158 billion yen in 2019 and has grown steadily since then. Even in 2020, when the overall gift market shrank amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the social-gifting segment expanded by over 25 pct from the previous year, and it has continued to post strong growth ever since. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]