Durability Key in “Randoseru” School Backpack Sales in Japan

Tokyo, March 31 (Jiji Press)–Durability is a key selling point that makers and retailers of “randoseru” backpacks for schoolchildren want to push in this year’s major shopping season for the products in Japan. While consumers showed interest in lightness and customizable design flexibility in recent years, more makers and retailers are highlighting products featuring durability and designs that do not easily lose appeal, so that kids can use them through the six years in elementary school at a time when prices are soaring. The shopping season for such backpacks for kids starting elementary school will be in full swing toward the Golden Week holiday period from late April to early May. Consumers are buying the products earlier every year because they often take nearly one year to be delivered. The average purchase price of randoseru backpacks for children starting elementary school this spring stood at 62,034 yen, up 1,288 yen from the previous year, according to the Japanese Luggage Association’s randoseru group. Upward price pressure is mounting for school backpacks due to higher materials prices, in addition to the ability of parents and others to spend more on each kid amid the dwindling child population. Makers are trying to justify higher prices as they need to raise their prices to maintain product quality. Tsuchiya Kaban Co. offers six-year free repair for randoseru backpacks to gain consumer understanding for the high prices of products good for long-term use, an official said. Department store operator Sogo & Seibu Co. has increased its number of backpacks from makers known for sturdy products by 30 pct, expecting demand for durable backpacks. Sogo & Seibu also sells models weighing 990 grams, about 200 to 300 grams lighter than typical school backpacks, to meet demand for light versions. At the Sogo store in Yokohama, south of Tokyo, a mother who lives in the city was seen looking carefully at randoseru backpacks with her son to find one that “feels comfortable and doesn’t cause pain on the shoulders when it’s on his back.” Subdued colors are another feature of products for kids starting school next year. At a dedicated section that opened Thursday at a Takashimaya Co. department store also in Yokohama, a local girl who will enter elementary school next spring said, “I want this,” pointing at a deep purple backpack with embroidered flowers. “The main characteristic of the product is it does not lose its appeal soon,” said Minako Kukihara, a buyer at the store. Some consumers may buy new backpacks to replace old ones for their kids to coincide with the start of the new school year in April. To meet demand for new ones for third and fourth graders, Aeon Co. said it sells more backpacks in simple designs in the supermarket operator’s “Karusupo Rakuru Style” series that uses light materials. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]