TOKYO, Oct 27, 2009 Lawson Inc., Showa Shell Sekiyu K.K. and software rental firm Geo Corp. said Tuesday they have signed up for a joint point-based customer reward program to be launched by a Mitsubishi Corp. subsidiary around March next year.
Customers carrying a point card called Ponta to be issued under the program can get points when making purchases at Lawson convenience stores, Showa Shell gas stations and Geo DVD rental shops and use the points to pay for goods and services offered by firms affiliated with the plan.
Loyalty Marketing Inc., the Mitsubishi unit that will operate the scheme, says it aims to expand the point card program to 30 companies in the consumer industry and boost the number of Ponta card users to 30 million within three years.
Companies joining the program can benefit from marketing analysis and support services from Loyal Marketing, which could help them in new product development.
In this area of service, Culture Convenience Club Co., which runs Tsutaya DVD rental shops, already offers a similar plan called T-Point in partnership with companies such as convenience store operator FamilyMart Co. The program boasts a membership of some 33 million consumers.
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