the japanese are "calculating every point"
2024-09-11
한어Русский языкEnglishFrançaisIndonesianSanskrit日本語DeutschPortuguêsΕλληνικάespañolItalianoSuomalainenLatina
image caption: a milk tea shop from china has also launched a points card in japan.
pan xiaoduo, our special correspondent in japan
if you shop in japan and happen to know japanese, you will find that almost every cashier will ask "do you need to accumulate points?" for three consecutive years, japan's acom company has released the "ranking of things you want to start in the new year", and "points activities" ranked first in 2023 and 2024. a total of 2,000 respondents were interviewed, ranging in age from 10 to 69. except for respondents over 60 years old, the most wanted thing for other age groups is "points activities." what is the charm of points that makes the japanese so obsessed?
small ideas gradually become big markets
although japanese society is "points-oriented", the point system actually originated in the united states. it is said that around 1850, a retail store in the united states made an operational mistake and bought too much goods. if it were sold in the traditional way, it would take forever to sell out. the store owner had no choice but to come up with a clever idea: put stickers on the product packaging, and customers could exchange them for picture cards after collecting a certain number of stickers. this was the original form of the point system.
a similar mechanism appeared in japan in the early 20th century. it is said that the earliest form of points appeared in 1916, when the kuga kimono store in kitakyushu city, fukuoka prefecture, launched a customer reward mechanism. although the specific operation of this early form is no longer traceable, it did lay the foundation for the subsequent points system. the real take-off of japan's modern points system was in 1989. yodobashi, a famous japanese home appliance hypermarket, first introduced a magnetic stripe points card, which allowed customers to accumulate points when purchasing goods and use the points to offset part of the amount in future purchases. this initiative was quickly promoted throughout the country, not only improving customers' shopping experience, but also enhancing customer loyalty. it can be said that this marks the true origin of japan's modern points system.
the scale of points issuance in 2022 is far higher than ever before, mainly due to the implementation of the personal number card project. according to estimates by nomura research institute, the project will issue about 950 billion yen in points. yano research institute estimates that the issuance of points in 2022 will be about 2.48 trillion yen, more than 1.5 times the range of 1.2 trillion to 1.4 trillion in recent years. in 2024, the points market will reach 2.63 trillion yen. by 2026, this figure may rise to 3.13 trillion yen.
today, the point system covers almost all business areas in japan. from large supermarket chains and department stores to small convenience stores and bakeries, almost all retailers offer some form of point program. in 2016, about 70% of japanese people used common points. in 2022, more than 90% of people used common points, and nearly 30% of japanese people even used five major common points at the same time. this huge market size proves the important position of the point system in japanese society.
a dazzling variety of combinations
it is easy to accumulate points in japan, but it is not easy to play with points, so so many people regard points activities as what they want to do most. simply put, japanese points are divided into two categories - common points and independent points. common points are a points system in which many companies participate. consumers can accumulate points in different merchants, and points can be used between merchants, which significantly improves the flexibility and practicality of points. the more famous common points are d points, t points, ponta points and rakuten points. taking d points as an example, users of telecommunications company ntt docomo can accumulate points by spending in cooperative merchants such as convenience stores, supermarkets, and restaurants, and use them in these merchants, which is very convenient. independent points are points issued by individual companies or stores and are limited to use at home or designated stores. the scope of use of this type of points is narrow, but companies can flexibly formulate rules to encourage consumption. for example, some stores will provide higher point rebate rates to frequent customers to encourage customers to patronize more.
now, more and more stores can accumulate points multiple times. in one shopping trip, you can earn both common points and independent points. there are even other ways to stack points. the reporter often shops on the amazon website. at first, he didn't pay much attention to the 0.5% to 1% points given by the website. but because of the frequent shopping and the accumulated amount, he applied for an amazon credit card half a year ago. after applying for the card, he immediately received bonus points equivalent to 3,000 yen, and the shopping points ratio was also increased to 2%, sometimes reaching more than 10% during promotional activities. a friend suggested that he apply for a d points membership, so that shopping over 5,000 yen can also increase 1% bonus points. compared with the time when there was no card half a year ago, the points in the account are now visibly increasing rapidly, and a small amount of shopping can be completed directly with points every once in a while. sure enough, the effects of passively accepting points and actively participating in point activities are very different.
soil accumulates into mountains, points accumulate into wealth
the main reason why the point system is so popular in japan is that it brings multiple benefits to both consumers and merchants. through independent points, merchants can effectively increase customer loyalty. every time you shop, you get points, which makes consumers willing to continue to choose the same merchant in the future. in addition, merchants will set a point ladder, and when you accumulate a certain number of points, you can enjoy higher discounts or exchange points for gifts. in order to further stimulate consumers' desire to buy, merchants will also set so-called "points multiplication days". consumers usually concentrate their shopping on this day to get more points. this not only improves their shopping experience, but also increases the sales of merchants. especially in the current environment of rising prices, consumers can get tangible discounts on their daily expenses through points, which gives them an extra sense of satisfaction. this "hidden wealth" brought by accumulating small amounts into large amounts has made the point system a part of budget management for many japanese families.
since points have a certain time limit, they often encourage consumers to make purchases again before the points expire, thereby increasing the merchant's repurchase rate. for example, some merchants offer a "points reward program" that requires customers to make multiple purchases within a certain period of time in order to receive additional points rewards. in addition, the points system provides companies with a rich data collection platform. through the points system, merchants can record customers' consumption habits, preferences, and shopping frequency in detail.
it is said that the buyer is not as smart as the seller. the merchants' scheming points system has prompted consumers to practice "scoring skills" and make extremely effective strategies for accumulating points. every family must pay fixed expenses, such as rent, utilities, telephone bills, etc., which can of course be paid through bank automatic transfer or at convenience stores. but if the payment method is changed to point card payment, a large number of points can be easily accumulated every month. in addition, some companies have also launched payment plans with point rewards. for example, some power companies have cooperated with telecommunications companies to launch payment plans that allow consumers to accumulate points or mileage while paying electricity bills.
at the same time, the japanese have adopted the principle of being dedicated and versatile for points. dedication means choosing to patronize a certain supermarket or convenience store, so that you can focus on accumulating points in that store, which can help you reach the point redemption standard faster and avoid the dispersion of points. versatility means obtaining two or more points at the same time through a single consumption. for example, when shopping at a merchant that accepts t points or d points, consumers can obtain both merchant points and credit card points by paying with a credit card. this method can maximize the points benefits in each consumption and is a very practical points accumulation strategy.
in recent years, more and more service providers have allowed users to use points for investment or donation. through these services, consumers can not only increase the value of their points, but also try investing with lower risks. for example, t points can be used to buy stocks or funds, while d points can participate in some point investment plans. for those who want to contribute to society, some point plans also allow points to be donated to charities such as unicef or the japanese red cross.
the points system has become an integral part of japanese society, covering almost every aspect of people's lives. whether accumulating points through daily shopping or using points when paying fixed expenses, investing, or donating, points provide consumers with more choices and possibilities.# hundreds of reviews#
