[Japan]LINE Pay Launches Its Newest Feature – Friending Business/Store LINE Accounts at Purchase

2018.03.02 LINE Pay

● From payments to sales promotion, all customer communications can now be done over LINE
● This feature will be rolled out first at 227 Joshin Group stores
 
TOKYO – March 2, 2018 – LINE Pay Corporation ("LINE Pay"), operator of the LINE Pay smartphone digital wallet service available through the LINE messaging app, has integrated payments together with LINE accounts with its new feature, launching today, that opens the door for customers to receive useful information by agreeing to friend a business or store's LINE account when making a purchase using their LINE Pay code. *1
 
This new service, available to stores and businesses using LINE Pay, provides a feature to allow customers to receive information about products, events, promotional campaigns, and more. All they have to do is agree to friend the business or store's LINE account when showing their LINE Pay code to make a payment. *2 This feature was created by integrating the LINE Pay payment feature with the various types of LINE accounts. Through this feature, users can continue to receive valuable information from businesses and stores just by making a payment through LINE Pay, while at the same time, the feature will allow businesses and stores to create a new touchpoint with their customers and carry out all manner of communication – including promoting sales to those likely to visit – over LINE, all starting with a payment.
 
Important Notes
*1: Not applicable to payments made using the LINE Pay card.
*2: Users will be shown a checkbox where they agree to friend the account before completing an online payment, or after completing an offline payment.
 
The service was launched today with an initial roll-out at stores in the Joshin Group that have implemented the mobile money transfer and payment service LINE Pay and also have a LINE@ account (a type of LINE account for stores and businesses). After showing their LINE Pay code screen and making a payment at participating Joshin Group stores, users will be shown a checkbox about adding the store's LINE@ account on the payment completion screen. Upon agreeing, the user will then start receiving information from the store's account.*
 
Important Notes
* LINE Pay code payments have been implemented at all stores in the Joshin Group, though no friend will be added at a selection of stores which do not have a LINE@ account.
 
The LINE Group manages over 300 LINE Official Accounts operated by major businesses, as well as over 300,000 LINE@ accounts belonging to authenticated stores, and will recommend implementing LINE Pay's payment and friending features to businesses and stores going forward. In addition to its payment features, LINE Pay facilitates easy communication between businesses/stores and their customers by making use of the LINE platform with its 73 million monthly active users (as of December 2017).
 
Details on how to set friending feature:
Setting is now available within My Page (Merchant Center) starting on November 28, 2018.
http://pay-merchant-blog.line.me/archives/14040784.html (Japanese only)
 
LINE Pay aims to reduce the many inconveniences of cash transactions – in terms of time, labor, fees, and more – in hopes of closing the distance between people, their money, and services, and hopes to become a leader in the mobile FinTech industry as the world moves increasingly towards becoming a cashless and walletless society.
 
LINE Pay Corporation Overview (as of December 11, 2017)
Company name: LINE Pay Corporation
Location of head office: JR Shinjuku Miraina Tower, 23F 4-1-6 Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo
Representative: Yongsu Ko, Representative Director and Chief Executive Officer
Total capital: JPY 2.950 billion
Established: May 9, 2014
Primary business:
- Issuance, sales, management, operation of e-payment systems for e-money, other e-currencies, and other means of pre-payment and fund transfer operations
- Sales and operation of LINE@
- Service development
- Advertising agency
  
In conjunction with the start of its business, LINE Pay Corporation has maintained membership and business registrations with the following organizations:
- Issuers of Prepaid Payment Instruments for Third-Party Business (Registration number: Kanto Director General 00669, Registration date: October 1, 2014)
- Funds Transfer Service Providers (Registration number: Kanto Director General 00036, Registration date: October 1, 2014)
- Japan Payment Service Association (http://www.s-kessai.jp, Admission date: August 6, 2014)