T-Point Price Index for January 2019 increased by 0.38 points from the previous month, reaching a record high of 1.54% compared to the same month last year since the start of calculations.

2019.02.13 Press Releases
CCC Marketing Co., Ltd. / Culture Convenience Club Co., Ltd.

The largest increase was for men aged 40-59 at 2.41%, while the smallest was for women aged 20-39 at 0.66%.

CCC Marketing Co., Ltd. and Culture Convenience Club Co., Ltd., which operate a marketing platform business, have announced the "T-POINT Price Index" (hereinafter "TPI"), a price index that utilizes T-Point data, as part of a joint project with the Watanabe Tsutomu Laboratory at the Graduate School of Economics, The University of Tokyo. We are pleased to announce the TPI for 2019.

January 2019 T-Point Price Index Digest

The T-Point Price Index (TPI) for January 2019 increased by 0.38 points from the previous month, and was down 1.54% from the same month last year.
TPI uses the amount of purchases made using T Cards at T Point partner stores such as supermarkets, drugstores, convenience stores, and restaurant chains. The TPI for January 2019 increased by 0.38 points from the previous month, reaching a year-on-year increase of 1.54%, the highest since TPI began to be compiled in 2015. By business type, "supermarkets" and "drugstores" also saw an upturn after the previous month's decline, with "supermarkets" increasing 0.15 points from the previous month to 0.19% compared to the same month last year, and "drugstores" increasing 0.35 points from the previous month to 0.64% compared to the same month last year. Convenience stores continued to be affected by the tobacco tax hike, resulting in a decrease of 0.11 points compared to the previous month, but remained in the 3% range at 3.63% compared to the same month last year.

The largest increase was among men aged 40-59 at 2.41%, while the smallest was among women aged 20-39 at 0.66%.
Looking at the TPI for January 2019 by gender and age group, in order of the largest increase compared to the same month last year, was 2.41% for men aged 40-59, followed by 2.07% for men aged 60-79, 1.65% for men aged 20-39, 1.26% for women aged 40-59, and 1.17% for women aged 60-79. The smallest increase was 0.66% for women aged 20-39. Overall, the price index for men was higher than that for women, with the difference between the maximum and minimum increase rates being 1.75 points. By type of business, the price index for women aged 20-39 at supermarkets rose 0.09 points from last month, when it turned negative for the first time in 1 year and 10 months, to a positive figure. The price index for women aged 20-39 at drugstores also rose 0.26 points to a positive figure. The price index for convenience stores continues to show a tendency for prices to rise as people get older, both for men and women.

*You can view data by selecting from three business types: "supermarket," "drugstore," and "convenience store."Please note that "restaurant chains" cannot be viewed by selecting by business type.
*Daily index data is up to three days prior.

What is TPI?
The Consumer Price Index (CPI) is known as an economic thermometer that indicates economic trends. On the other hand, the TPI is an index compiled based on purchase price data accumulated daily through T-Point partner stores across Japan. Specifically, this price index was derived by aggregating, tabulating, and analyzing purchase amounts obtained from T-Card purchasing data, which is used by 68.71 million people across Japan (number of members after name matching as of the end of January 2019) and has related sales of over 8 trillion yen, which accounts for approximately 2% of Japan's total consumption.

About TPI
The data currently used by TPI collects the amount of purchases involving T-Cards at T-Point partner stores such as supermarkets, drugstores, convenience stores, and restaurant chains. The store areas are as follows: supermarkets are mainly in the Tokyo metropolitan area and Kyushu, drug stores are mainly in Kanto, Kansai and Kyushu, and convenience stores and restaurant chains are nationwide. Currently, the number of products (SKUs) covered by TPI is approximately 110,000, with 191 of the 580 items being utilized, resulting in a coverage of 23.4% when the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications CPI is taken as 100%. The amount used to calculate TPI is excluding consumption tax (excluding tax). Additionally, while no special consideration is given to sale items, all products with sales history for both the previous and current periods are used to compile TPI. Please note that the number of members covered by TPI, as well as the transaction amount and number of uses, have not been disclosed.

TPI Features
The features of TPI are that it allows you to see the price index by gender and age group, and that it is a price index based on buying prices rather than selling prices. The TPI is calculated using the Tornqvist method, which is the same as the University of Tokyo Daily Price Index. This calculation method places more weight on products purchased in larger quantities, and there is a consensus among researchers that it is the best method for creating a price index.

[Disclaimer]
*These results are from a beta version and may be subject to change without notice.
*This information is not intended for use in any investment or economic transactions, and no express or implied guarantees are made, including as to its commercial usefulness or usefulness for any particular purpose.
*Please fully understand the nature of this index and use it at your own risk.
*We are not responsible for any losses resulting from investments or transactions based on this index.
*We do not assume any liability (direct or indirect) arising from the use of this index.
*No representations or warranties are made regarding the accuracy, completeness, precision, reliability, etc. of this index.
*Reproduction of this content without permission is strictly prohibited.

Materials related to this matter

T-Point Price Index for January 2019 increased by 0.38 points from the previous month, reaching a record high of 1.54% compared to the same month last year since the start of calculations.

Inquiries regarding this matter
■ Inquiries regarding TPI
CCC Marketing Co., Ltd. Data Science Lab
MAIL: tpi-pj@ccc.co.jp

■Inquiries from the press
CCC Marketing Co., Ltd.
Public Relations Officer: Ando and Nakagawa
TEL: 03-6800-4464