japan &ndash perusing the retail shelves in tokyo it is very clear that japanese packaging is different. certainly the images, brands and even product descriptions are alien to the nonjapanese speaker. but that&rsquos just a matter of graphic design &ndash look behind the superficial to the shape, function and materials used in the package, and it becomes clear that the graphics on more than 90 per cent of the products on display have an obvious gender bias.understanding complex consumer spending patterns in order to communicate the brand&rsquos message and that elusive brand promise is vital in any market. in japan this is made easier by the simple fact that you&rsquore only speaking to one target market women.without exception all packaging is designed and manufactured with women as the sole market.demographically the numbers stack up in favour of women they comprise 58 of the adult population, the median age is 46.7 years, and due to the fact that women live an average of seven years longer than men there are more of them.in japan women do the shopping and, with the exception of a few newage families, women hold the purse strings. it is customary in japanese households for the husband to turn over his entire pay packet to his wife who then returns some of it back to him as &lsquopocket money&rsquo. more than 60 of women also hold jobs, and they use the combined family income to manage the household.they are specifically trained for it all japanese schoolgirls study home economics. this extends way beyond the conventional skills of washing, cooking and ironing. it includes very real economics, household management and balancing both the family budget and diet.these ladies are trained professional shoppers when they hit the retail aisles on their way home from work they are able to read and understand nutritional labelling, compare price with quantity and calculate product quality and value for money in a heartbeat.attention to detail is paramount. aesthetics and a uniquely japanese appreciation of what constitutes quality and practicality is also an important part of their training &ndash think zen minimalist flower arrangement&hellip think the quest for perfection&hellip think&hellip less is more. think, small, elegantlydesigned packs that fit comfortably in a woman&rsquos hand, or have a handle to make them easier to&hellip well, handlein the consumer&rsquos eye, there is a direct correlation between packaging and product quality. even a slightest flaw on the pack is grounds for rejection, so something trivial such as a &lsquohicky&rsquo on the print surface, or a tear in a carton, a dent in a bottle will result in rejection.the logic is simple &lsquoif the brand, or store, don&rsquot care enough to present their product using the best quality material and technology, then clearly the same lack of care is going into the product quality.&rsquo mostly they&rsquod be right.contributed by stuart hoggard