INTERVIEW: NTT Docomo to Beef Up Loyalty Program

July 13, 2018

Tokyo- NTT Docomo Inc. will beef up its loyalty program to develop the service into a new source of earnings, its president and chief executive officer, Kazuhiro Yoshizawa, said in a recent interview.

The company aims to make its "d point" rewards service one of the largest loyalty programs in Japan in terms of membership, Yoshizawa said.

The comments come as the Japanese mobile phone service operator sees slowing growth in the domestic market.

In December 2015, Docomo revamped the loyalty service that had been offered mainly to its mobile subscribers, making it possible for anyone to become a member of the rewards program.

Members can earn and use points at partner outlets, including eateries and retailers, totaling about 34,000 from around 200 companies.

Docomo's loyalty service currently has 65 million members.

"We have some 76 million mobile subscribers, but the number of loyalty service customers can get even greater," Yoshizawa said.

The company aims to increase its loyalty service partners to 300 companies and 100,000 outlets by 2020 to enhance the convenience of users.

Rakuten Inc. <4755>, a major Japanese online shopping mall operator with 97 million loyalty program members, one of the largest in Japan, plans to enter the mobile phone market next year.

The company plans to use networks leased from major mobile carriers including Docomo in rural areas where it cannot prepare facilities in time.

"We'll consider the details after being asked, but any roaming agreement (with Rakuten) is likely to be made on conditions such as limiting the contract period to several years," Yoshizawa said. Jiji Press