BNPL service "atokara" launched
February 6, 2024
Sumitomo Mitsui Card Company, Limited
GMO Payment Gateway, Inc.
GMO Payment Service, Inc.
Sumitomo Mitsui Card Company, Limited (President & Chief Executive Officer: Yukihiko Onishi, hereinafter referred to as "Sumitomo Mitsui Card"), GMO Payment Gateway, Inc. (President & Chief Executive Officer: Issei Ainoura, hereinafter referred to as "GMO-PG"), and GMO Payment Service, Inc. (President & Chief Executive Officer: Katsunari Mukai, hereinafter referred to as "GMO-PS") will launch the BNPL service "atokara" from Wednesday, February 7, 2024. We will start providing the following:
"atokara" is a BNPL service developed by the three companies based on the basic agreement on a business alliance under Buy Now Pay Later *1 (hereinafter referred to as "BNPL"), which the three companies signed on Monday, May 23, 2022.
- *1: BNPL means "buy now, pay later" and is a payment method that is attracting attention as a payment method to complement credit card functions as its use in overseas markets expands.
Reference: June 7, 2022
Sumitomo Mitsui Card Company, Limited, GMO Payment Gateway, Inc., and GMO Payment Service, Inc. Announce the Provision of "buy now pay later payment" "Buy Now Pay Later Service"
https://www.gmo-pg.com/corp/newsroom/press/gmo-payment-gateway_gmo-payment-service/2022/0607.html
"atokara" is a BNPL service that allows customers to pay for products at convenience stores and banks after purchasing and receiving them. When shopping through apps and e-commerce, you can payment using only your mobile phone number and email address without entering your credit card information. In addition, the main features of "atokara" are that it adopts "complete web completion from use to billing" and "closing payment", and can also be used for face-to-face transactions.
Until now, Payment After Delivery service has been mainly used for e-commerce, and customers have mainly buy now pay later payment option each time based on the paper invoice that comes with the product.
With atokara, customers can use the QR code *2 displayed on the atokara app to use it at physical stores, and when using it for e-commerce, they can manage their monthly usage status on the atokara app or on a dedicated website without having to manage the paper invoice that comes with the products they are shopping for each time. In addition, by closing payment, you can receive not only payment invoice one by one, but also payment all at once, so speedy payment is possible.
<About payment methods>
"atokara" provides the following two payment methods.
- (1) Credit type on a case-by-case basis
There is no need to register as a member in advance, and each time you make a purchase, we will review you based on the contents of the purchased product, and you can only use the payment method of payment in one payment, and it can only be used in e-commerce. - (2) Membership registration type
This is a payment method in which you register as a member *3 in advance and set the usage limit based on the contents.
The credit type can be used as a one-time payment, but the member registration type supports 1~36 payments and can be used with no installment payment fee for up to 6 installments *4, so you can pay more flexibly. In addition to e-commerce use, face-to-face transactions are also possible at merchants equipped with Sumitomo Mitsui Card 's all-in-one payment terminal "stera terminal" and all-in-one mobile terminal "stera mobile"*5.
Since the credit type does not require prior membership registration, we provide customers with a smooth shopping experience. The membership registration type also supports installment payments and face-to-face transactions, enabling you to use it in a wider range of shopping scenes and to provide convenient and flexible payment.
- *2: "QR Code" is a registered trademark of DENSO WAVE INCORPORATED, JIS, and ISO standards.
- *3: When registering as a member, there is an identity verification (eKYC) and a prescribed screening.
- *4: For details on installment fees, please check the website:
https://www.atokara.jp/use/installment/ (Scheduled to be released on February 7) ） - *5: The all-in-one payment terminal "Stera Terminal" can support various payment method such as credit cards, electronic money, and code payment with a single terminal. In addition, "Stera Mobile" is an all-in-one mobile terminal that can handle all payment services such as credit cards, electronic money, and code payment, and can be operated like a smartphone with a touch panel.
<Service overview>
| Credit type on a case-by-case basis | Membership registration type | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Service Name | atokara | ||
| Eligible customers | No age limit *6 | 18 years of age or older (excluding high school students) | |
| Membership Registration and Identity Verification | Not required | Required (eKYC implementation) | |
| Usage | Available Transaction Forms | EC only | EC/Face-to-face |
| How it works | TEL / E-mail address input + SMS authentication | ||
| payment | payment times | 1 time | 1,3,4,5,6,10,12, 15,18,20,24,30,36 times |
| How payment | Convenience store payment, Bank transfer *7 / Account transfer | ||
| payment Cycles | Convenience store payment / Bank transfer: Payment on the 10th day after the end of each month Account transfer: Paid on the 27th of the month after the end of each month |
||
- *6: If you are a minor, you will need the consent of a parent or guardian.
- *7: A prescribed fee will be charged for convenience store payment and Bank transfer payment.
<Usage image>
●EC transaction flow (member registration type)
In addition, we are planning to provide new services for customers who wish to use a credit card issued by Sumitomo Mitsui Card, such as a function that allows customers to easily apply for a credit card from the "atokara" app, and a function that allows Sumitomo Mitsui Card members to view their atokara usage details on the "Vpass app". We will inform you as soon as the specific service content and commerciality are decided.
2. Available stores
■ EC merchants
We plan to introduce it at the following member stores.
(in alphabetical order)
| Name of Member Company | Site URL | Timing of introduction (planned) |
|---|---|---|
| 株式会社アイリスプラザ | Iris Plaza https://www.irisplaza.co.jp/ |
Late February 2024 |
| Akachan Honpo Co., Ltd. |
アカチャンホンポ Online Shop https://shop.akachan.jp/shop/default.aspx |
After March 2024 |
| XPRICE Inc. ※8 | XPRICE https://www.xprice.co.jp/ |
May 2024 |
| F.D.C. PRODUCTS INC. | 4℃ JEWELRY ONLINE SHOP https://www.fdcp.co.jp/DefaultBrandTop.aspx?bid=4c-jewelry |
February 7, 2024 |
| KOHNAN SHOJI CO., LTD. | KOHNAN eShop https://www.kohnan-eshop.com/shop/default.aspx |
Late May, 2024 |
| JAPANET TAKATA CO., LTD ※8,9 | Japanet Takata [Official] https://www.japanet.co.jp/shopping/ |
undecided |
| Belluna Co., Ltd. | Belluna Online Store https://belluna.jp/ |
April 2024 |
| Mizuno Corporation ※8 | Mizuno Official Online https://jpn.mizuno.com/ |
undecided |
- *8: It is a member store that can only be used by the member registration type.
- *9: "JAPANET TAKATA CO., LTD" will offer no installment payment fee. Details will be announced separately on the website.
■ Face-to-face merchants
Among the merchants where "Stera Terminal" and "Stera Mobile" are installed, you can use Card Present Transactions at stores with the "atokara" logo. The number of member stores will be rolled out sequentially from the end of February 2024 (planned).
<About the industry of member stores>
"atokara" can be introduced in a wider range of industries than previous Payment After Delivery service.
Until now, Payment After Delivery service was a service that could only be introduced by merchants in industries that ship products, as the majority of the time was for merchants to bundle paper invoice with shipping products and e-commerce users to pay on a case-by-case basis based on invoice.
On the other hand, "atokara", which will be offered this time, is "completely complete from use to billing" and "closed payment", so it can be introduced even in industries that handle intangible products such as travel products and educational services, which were difficult to handle until now.
Since it can be used in installments with a membership registration type service, it supports not only low-priced but also a wide range of industries in the price range, and can also be used at physical stores via "stera terminal" and "stera mobile" for QR code payment.
In the future, we plan to gradually expand the number of stores where it can be used. As soon as the addition of new stores is decided, we will announce it on the "atokara" website.
"atokara" HP: https://www.atokara.jp (*Scheduled to be released on February 7th) ）
Sumitomo Mitsui Card, GMO-PG and GMO-PS will continue to provide safer and more convenient payment method to customers and strive to further promote cashless payments.
