The No. 1 company in the cashless payments market

「新規カード会員数は38万人（前年同期比27.7％増）、カード会員数は2,161万人（前期末比0.9％減）、カードの年間稼働会員数は1,355万人（前年同期比0.1％減）となりました。また、ショッピング取扱高は1兆5,611億円（前年同期比4.1％増）」

「As a result, the key metrics for the consolidated fiscal year were 1.41 million new card members, up 2.3% year on year, 21.80 million card members, down 6.9% from the end of the previous fiscal year, and 13.58 million annual active card members, up 0.3% year on year. Shopping transaction volume was ¥6.1860 trillion, up 3.3% year on year, card cash-advance transaction volume was ¥146.3 billion, down 5.1%, the shopping revolving balance was ¥507.9 billion, up 3.6% from the end of the previous fiscal year, and the card cash-advance balance was ¥190.8 billion, down 0.9%.」

「As a result, the main indicators for the interim consolidated accounting period were 760,000 new cardholders, up 6.1% year on year; 21.47 million cardholders, down 1.5% from the end of the previous fiscal year; 13.49 million annual active cardholders, down 0.8% year on year; shopping transaction volume of ¥3.1076 trillion, up 3.1% year on year; card cashing transaction volume of ¥67.8 billion, down 9.5% year on year; a shopping revolving balance of ¥508.4 billion, up 0.1% from the end of the previous fiscal year; and a card cashing balance of ¥188.0 billion, down 1.5% from the end of the previous fiscal year.」

「As a result, the key metrics for the first half of the fiscal year were 720,000 new card members, up 14.6% year on year, 22.52 million card members, down 3.8% from the end of the previous fiscal year, and 13.59 million annual active card members, down 0.2% year on year. Meanwhile, shopping transaction volume was ¥3.0143 trillion, up 3.8% year on year, card cash-advance transaction volume was ¥75.0 billion, down 3.9%, the shopping revolving balance was ¥501.5 billion, up 2.3% from the end of the previous fiscal year, and the card cash-advance balance was ¥192.9 billion, up 0.2%.」

「The key metrics for the consolidated fiscal year were 1.38 million new card members, down 19.9% year on year, 23.42 million card members, down 4.9% from the end of the previous fiscal year, and 13.53 million annual active card members, down 1.3% year on year. Shopping transaction volume was ¥5.9870 trillion, up 5.3% year on year, card cash-advance transaction volume was ¥154.2 billion, down 7.1%, the shopping revolving balance was ¥490.5 billion, up 8.2% from the end of the previous fiscal year, and the card cash-advance balance was ¥192.6 billion, up 1.5%.」

「As a result of these initiatives, the key metrics for the first half of the fiscal year were 630,000 new card members, down 23.2% year on year, 24.00 million card members, down 2.5% from the end of the previous fiscal year, and 13.62 million annual active card members, down 1.0% year on year. Meanwhile, shopping transaction volume was ¥2.9041 trillion, up 5.3% year on year, card cash-advance transaction volume was ¥78.0 billion, down 8.1%, the shopping revolving balance was ¥474.9 billion, up 4.7% from the end of the previous fiscal year, and the card cash-advance balance was ¥191.3 billion, up 0.9%.」

「The key metrics for the consolidated fiscal year were 1.72 million new card members, up 1.2% year on year, 24.62 million card members, down 1.6% from the end of the previous fiscal year, and 13.72 million annual active card members, down 0.7% year on year. Shopping transaction volume was ¥5.6876 trillion, up 7.6% year on year.」

「As a result of these initiatives, the key metrics for the first 3 quarters of the fiscal year were 1.25 million new card members, up 2.0% year on year, 24.71 million card members, down 1.3% from the end of the previous fiscal year, and 13.73 million annual active card members, down 2.2% year on year. Shopping transaction volume was ¥4.2541 trillion, up 7.8% year on year, card cash-advance transaction volume was ¥126.8 billion, up 0.4%, the shopping revolving balance was ¥443.2 billion, up 8.4% from the end of the previous fiscal year, and the card cash-advance balance was ¥188.0 billion, up 2.7%.」

「Despite these initiatives, the key metrics for the first half of the fiscal year were 820,000 new card members, down 0.2% year on year, 24.82 million card members, down 0.8% from the end of the previous fiscal year, and 13.76 million annual active card members, down 2.1% year on year. Meanwhile, shopping transaction volume was ¥2.7581 trillion, up 8.0% year on year, card cash-advance transaction volume was ¥84.9 billion, up 1.9%, the shopping revolving balance was ¥429.8 billion, up 5.1% from the end of the previous fiscal year, and the card cash-advance balance was ¥186.7 billion, up 2.0%.」

「As a result of these initiatives, the key metrics for the first quarter of the fiscal year were 380,000 new card members, up 1.2% year on year, 24.90 million card members, down 0.5% from the end of the previous fiscal year, and 13.72 million annual active card members, down 1.8% year on year. Shopping transaction volume was ¥1.3651 trillion, up 6.7% year on year, card cash-advance transaction volume was ¥43.8 billion, up 2.8%, the shopping revolving balance was ¥418.6 billion, up 2.3% from the end of the previous fiscal year, and the card cash-advance balance was ¥186.0 billion, up 1.7%.」

「As a result of these initiatives, the key metrics for the consolidated fiscal year were 1.70 million new card members, up 11.9% year on year, 25.03 million card members, down 1.4% from the end of the previous fiscal year, and 13.81 million annual active card members, down 0.5% year on year. Shopping transaction volume was ¥5.287 trillion, up 9.6% year on year.」

「・From April 2021, the company began offering Saison Amex Cashback, a cashback-only campaign program, as a new benefit attached to all Saison American Express® Cards issued by the company, making it the first such offering in Japan among co-branded cards with American Express. ・From May 2021, the company began offering BUSINESS Pro CARD, a new strategic product aimed at maximizing its share of card payments in the SME (Small and Medium Enterprise) market, including credit-limit settings that enable card payments for business expenses and a payment deferral period of up to 84 days to improve cash flow. ・From August 2021, the company began issuing the new co-branded Shop Channel Card Saison and Shop Channel Card Digital Saison in partnership with ジュピターショップチャンネル㈱.」

「From April 2021, the company began offering immediate registration and use of the Mitsui Shopping Park app's QR-code payment service, App de Shiharai, when customers newly joined the Mitsui Shopping Park Card <Saison> or Lazona Kawasaki Plaza Card <Saison>.」

「In May 2021, the company began offering BUSINESS Pro CARD, a new strategic product aimed at maximizing its share of card payments in the SME (Small and Medium Enterprise) market. The product provides credit limits for business expenses payable by card and extends the payment deferral period to a maximum of 84 days to improve cash flow.」

「In Japan, the company recognizes the need to promote digital transformation (DX) to address changes in customer sentiment and behavior, including the shift toward contactless and face-to-face-free services brought about by COVID-19, and to enhance the user experience (UX). To address these issues, it is working to build a foundation for a return to growth by promoting four areas of DX—payments, adjacent services, internal IT, and marketing—and developing new products for younger customers, women, and affluent customers. ・As part of its efforts to promote face-to-face-free and contactless services, the company began issuing SAISON CARD Digital, a service that issues a digital card in the app within as little as 5 minutes after completion of a credit-card application by smartphone, enabling online shopping and contactless payments at physical stores.」

「The company also began issuing a new co-branded card with Hekikai Shinkin Bank, the Hekishin Saison American Express® Card, and added the MileagePlus Saison Platinum American Express® Card to the premium range of its co-branded MileagePlus Saison Card with United Airlines. It continued developing new products despite the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, having issued cards and provided preferential services in cooperation with a wide range of partners, the company expanded eligibility for PARCO Points, PARCO's loyalty-points service previously limited to PARCO cards, to Saison cards and co-branded cards issued by the company, with the aim of creating common services that customers can access through a single Saison card.」

「As part of the diversification of payment services, we aim to become the No. 1 company in the cashless payments market for both personal consumption and corporate transactions by deploying measures to displace cash, including prepaid cards, smartphone payments and mobile POS in addition to credit cards. From 23 October 2019, we launched “Saison Cardless Payment” for new PARCO Card applicants, enabling the entire process from applying for a Saison Card to making payments to be completed instantly and entirely on a smartphone.」

「As part of the diversification of payment services, we aim to become the No. 1 company in the cashless payments market for both personal consumption and corporate transactions by deploying measures to displace cash, including prepaid cards, smartphone payments and mobile POS in addition to credit cards. For personal customers, on 1 April 2019 we launched “Saison Classe,” which provides benefits according to classes based on usage performance and other factors, rather than on a uniform basis, for cardmembers using the Saison Card and UC Card smartphone apps, “Saison Portal” and “UC Portal.” From 1 September 2019, we also launched “Saison no Otsukidama,” under which ¥10,000 is awarded each month to 10,000 smartphone-app members, working to improve customer services related to card usage.」

「As part of the diversification of payment services, we aim to become the No. 1 company in the cashless payments market for both personal consumption and corporate transactions by deploying measures to displace cash, including prepaid cards, smartphone payments and mobile POS in addition to credit cards.」

「In addition to credit cards, we are working to diversify payment services toward becoming the No. 1 company in the cashless payments market by deploying measures to displace cash, including prepaid cards, smartphone payments and mobile POS.」

「In addition to credit cards, we are working to diversify payment services toward becoming the No. 1 company in the cashless payments market by deploying measures to displace cash, including prepaid cards, smartphone payments and mobile POS. We are also promoting the shift to cashless payments and the streamlining of back-office operations for companies by providing optimal solutions tailored to company size and needs, in an effort to capture the corporate payments market in addition to personal consumption.」

「In addition to credit cards, we are working to diversify payment services toward becoming the No. 1 company in the cashless payments market by deploying measures to displace cash, including prepaid cards, smartphone payments and mobile POS.」

「As part of our efforts to expand the payments business, we continued to promote “Cocokara Club Card,” issued in partnership with ㈱ココカラファイン, “NEO MONEY,” a prepaid card for overseas travelers, and “PARCO Preca,” issued in partnership with ㈱パルコ. We also undertook the operational management of “mijica,” a prepaid card issued by ㈱ゆうちょ銀行 and 日本郵便㈱, and made maximum use of our expertise as a leading prepaid-card company by enabling users to earn Eternal Points based on usage and to load “mijica” with Eternal Points accumulated through shopping with Saison Card. We also worked to develop new business partners and improve product features.」

「As part of the development of a pioneering payment platform, we began new smartphone payment services, “Saison Origami Pay” and “UC Origami Pay,” in January 2018 in collaboration with ㈱Origami, using smartphone apps for Saison Card and UC Card.」

「Going forward, in addition to our existing credit-card and prepaid-card services, we will seek to establish earnings sources in the cashless payments market by providing secure, simple and convenient payment services, including pioneering responses to cardless payment schemes and the development of a next-generation payment platform for the smartphone era.」

「As part of our efforts to expand the payments business, in addition to continuing to promote “PARCO Preca,” issued in partnership with ㈱パルコ, and “Cocokara Club Card,” issued in partnership with ㈱ココカラファイン, a major drugstore operator, we partnered with ㈱川徳, which operates department stores mainly in Morioka, Iwate Prefecture, from March 2017 and began issuing “Kawatoku Parque Card,” expanding our prepaid-card lineup.」

「In addition to partnering with ALPICO HOLDINGS CO.,LTD., a lifestyle-related company operating mainly in Shinshu, and beginning to issue “Point & Prepaid Picoca,” we worked to expand our product lineup by newly partnering with ㈱パルコ and beginning the advance issuance of “PARCO Preca” at Chofu PARCO and Fukuoka PARCO in December 2016.」

「In March 2016, we partnered with 川崎アゼリア㈱, which operates “Kawasaki Azalea,” one of Japan’s largest underground shopping complexes, and began issuing the store-specific prepaid “Azalea Card” with a rewards-card function. We also partnered with ALPICO HOLDINGS CO.,LTD., a lifestyle-related company operating mainly in Shinshu, and began issuing the “Point & Prepaid Picoca” card.」

「We are promoting the development and provision of a range of payment methods, including credit and prepaid cards, to create a cashless society by deploying measures to displace cash, the largest payment method in Japan’s personal consumption market.」

「As part of the diversification of payment services, we will seek to become the No. 1 company in the cashless payments market by deploying measures to displace cash, including prepaid cards, smartphone payment services, payment processing functions and rewards businesses in addition to credit cards.」