Improving Customer Convenience and Productivity Through the Use of IT

「We are also promoting digital transformation initiatives such as electronic shelf labels, self-checkout registers and AI ordering, generating approximately 1.55 million labor hours through DX. Productivity is steadily improving, with total working hours at existing stores at 97.4% of the prior-year period.」

「The new core domestic system began operation in June.」

「The number of downloads of iAEON, an app consolidating functions including payments, points, coupons, electronic receipts and shareholder benefits, reached approximately 22 million. AEON Pay, which began operating after integrating with the electronic money service WAON in June, was introduced at stores operated by the Welcia Holdings group and, from September, at stores under United Super Markets Holdings (U.S.M.H.), making it available at approximately 4.15 million locations, including locations outside the group.」

「The iAEON app, which consolidates functions including payments, points, coupons, electronic receipts and shareholder benefits, reached approximately 22 million downloads.」

「The number of downloads of iAEON, an app consolidating functions including payments, points, coupons, electronic receipts and shareholder benefits, has exceeded 18 million. A new AEON Pay integrating AEON Pay and WAON went live in June, increasing the number of locations where AEON Pay can be used by 1.4 times.」

「iAEON, whose downloads exceeded 14 million in just over three years since launch, uses electronic receipts and is considering implementing a household-budget management function in response to strong customer demand. The company is steadily progressing the standardisation of customer IDs recognised individually by each company and the shift from conventional mass marketing to one-to-one marketing aimed at maximising customer experience value, using sales data and purchase-history information accumulated through AEON Cards, iAEON, WAON POINT and AEON Pay.」

「The number of stores offering RejiGo exceeded 300 in June 2024. In September, integration of RejiGo into AEON’s total app, iAEON, began, enabling a more comfortable shopping experience through various coupons and the application of shareholder-benefit privileges.」

「During the current medium-term management plan, the company aims to maximise customer experience value by standardising the customer IDs recognised individually by group companies and shifting from conventional mass marketing to one-to-one marketing based on sales data and purchase-history information accumulated inside and outside the group through AEON Cards, iAEON, WAON POINT and AEON Pay.」

「AEON Financial Service introduced a mechanism allowing customers to use AEON Pay linked to bank accounts outside the group even if they do not hold an AEON Card, among other measures」

「In addition, overseas subsidiaries of AEON Financial Service Co., Ltd. actively introduced AI Credit Scoring and AI Collections Scoring. In markets where a certain number of customers have no external credit history, the company aims to meet customers' funding needs through more precise screening using AI scoring, while also improving the efficiency of credit screening and collections operations.」

「The company added the AEON Pay code-payment service to the official AEON Card app, “AEON Wallet,” and expanded external AEON Pay merchants, including multi-purpose leisure facilities, restaurants and consumer electronics retailers, thereby improving customer convenience.」

「For AEON Cards, the company ran an enrolment campaign addressing demand associated with starting a new life and continued to strengthen promotion of the improved convenience resulting from changes to the points programme. As a result, the number of active domestic cardholders reached 30.22 million, an increase of 130,000 from the beginning of the period. To promote use of the AEON Pay code-payment function introduced in iAEON, the company expanded participating merchants within the AEON Group as well as external merchants, including multi-purpose leisure facilities and apparel retailers, improving customer convenience.」

「iAEON allows users to earn, use, check and exchange WAON POINT, pay with Mobile WAON and the code-payment service AEON Pay, and check campaign information from their favourite stores. It enables a range of services provided by group companies to be used together in a single app.」

「In September, the company introduced the code-payment function “AEON Pay” to iAEON, and in October it launched Apple Pay support for the electronic money service “WAON,” further advancing cashless payments across the AEON Group.」

「In August, the company announced that it would begin distributing AEON’s total group app, “iAEON” (pronounced “eye-AEON”), from September. The app serves as a common group-wide touchpoint and is intended to provide convenient, highly satisfying services tailored to customers’ lifestyles and a seamless experience integrating stores and digital services.」

「Since the second half of fiscal 2020, the company has been progressively introducing “AI Kakaku” in prepared-food sections. The system learns from sales results, weather and customer traffic and enables appropriate discount pricing to be set through simple operations. Based on results at the initial stores, it was introduced at almost all stores, approximately 350, by July, with plans to expand the applicable product categories progressively. In addition, “AI Camera,” which analyses in-store video and supports customer service and sales-floor improvements, was implemented at AEON Style Kawaguchi in Saitama Prefecture, which opened in June, with plans to expand it to 80 stores during fiscal 2021.」

「Accelerating and advancing the digital shift: AEON Smart Technology Co., Ltd. was established to accelerate the development of a common group-wide membership platform, smartphone apps and systems for promoting digital transformation.」

「The number of stores offering “Dokodemo Reji RejiGo” reached 20 as of the end of the third quarter consolidated accounting period. At AEON Style Ariake Garden in Tokyo, the company began demonstration testing in October of various initiatives using digital technologies to create new customer touchpoints and provide an enjoyable and comfortable shopping environment. These included security gates for RejiGo, digital promotions using “Video Rail” to stream videos on product shelves, and age verification using cameras and AI technology, as the store serves as a model for a new combination of physical and digital retail.」

「In July, AEON began accepting applications for My Number Points using AEON’s electronic money “WAON” and AEON Cards with WAON functionality at approximately 1,530 AEON Group stores nationwide, including “AEON,” “AEON Style,” “AEON Supercenter,” “Maxvalu” and “Maruetsu” stores.」

「The company also introduced RejiGo for the first time at an AEON store in Kanagawa Prefecture. RejiGo is a service that allows customers to scan product barcodes using dedicated smartphones lent by the store and pay at dedicated checkout terminals, enabling comfortable shopping without checkout lines or waiting time.」

「From March 2020, the company began a full-scale rollout of “Dokodemo Reji RejiGo” (hereinafter, RejiGo), a shopping format that allows customers to “skip the checkout line.” In February, it announced plans to expand the service to approximately 20 stores during fiscal 2020, mainly at AEON and AEON Style stores in Tokyo, Chiba and Kanagawa.」

「In November, the company also completed the transition to web statements, which customers can view through the official AEON Card app, “AEON Wallet,” or the “Kurashi no Money Site” website.」

「In ICT, the company continued efforts to reduce system and maintenance costs, while promoting system changes for cashless payments and the development of smartphone payments to improve customer convenience.」

「In April, the company established a new company in China, “Aeon Digital Management Center” (hereinafter, DMC). Since opening its first store in Hong Kong in 1985, AEON has operated approximately 470 stores across 8 businesses in China. The establishment of DMC will accelerate the digital shift closely integrated with store operations. DMC will build new business models by incorporating AI and other technologies and integrating physical stores with online stores consolidated in smartphone apps. It will provide customers with new experiences unique to AEON, while also improving the productivity of back-office operations and developing IT personnel with expertise in the retail business.」

「Our group will build an AEON proprietary platform using the common infrastructure held by group companies, including customer data, payment systems and IT systems. In addition to seeking new sources of revenue, we will work to provide new value and greater convenience to customers and improve operational productivity.」

「In November 2018, AEON Credit Service Co., Ltd. began switching to contactless payment cards, which complete payment simply by tapping the credit card. The AEON Group plans to replace the 100,000 checkout registers installed at its stores with contactless payment terminals from March 2019.」

「The company also worked to improve customer convenience, including by launching an in-store pickup service for its shopping app and online supermarket.」

「The company expanded the introduction of an automated ordering system to reduce unscheduled work and total working hours, and replaced ageing freezer and refrigerator cases as an energy-saving measure, working to reduce expenses.」

「As part of its efforts to digitalise stores, Maxvalu West Japan Co., Ltd. introduced the “MyPi” self-scanning system in January. The system proposes a new shopping style in which customers scan their purchases using dedicated devices provided at stores and complete checkout quickly simply by scanning the items at a payment terminal. The company aims to improve customer convenience and store operating efficiency while easing checkout congestion.」

「In Malaysia, the company continued to promote paperless processing using tablets and digital signage. In the Philippines, it began an auto-loan business for three-wheeled taxis using IoT devices, among other initiatives to improve customer service through new technologies.」

「As part of its global digitalisation efforts to improve operational efficiency, the company continued to improve customer service and productivity through low-cost operations in Malaysia, including promoting paperless processing through tablet-based applications at branches and website-based applications for merchants.」

「The company held the “AEON Financial Service Innovation 2016” competition to create new services using fintech. In the credit business, it strengthened promotion of the “AEON Wallet” smartphone app, which allows users to check their AEON Card spending and AEON Bank account information in one place. In the banking business, a branch was opened at AEON Mall Nagakute in Aichi Prefecture to expand the sales network, bringing the number of bank branches to 134.」

「Distribution of the “AEON Wallet” smartphone app began in September. In the banking business, a branch was opened at AEON Style Higashi-Totsuka in Kanagawa Prefecture in September to expand the sales network, bringing the number of bank branches to 134.」

「During the cumulative consolidated period for the second quarter, AEON Financial Service Co., Ltd. continued to promote digitalisation globally to improve operational efficiency, enhance the convenience of products and services, and improve profitability through more efficient balance-sheet management. In the credit business, the company continued efforts at service counters and in-store branches located in shopping centres and other facilities to provide information on various products and services via tablets and promote sales through digital signage. As a result, it shortened the card-issuance period and reduced labour and sales-promotion costs in issuing AEON Cards.」

「In response to the rapid advance of digitalisation, the company continued to use IT technologies to improve customer convenience while also improving productivity.」