Smooth Transactions and Bill Splitting Functions Drive Mobile Payment Usage Among SoftBank Corp. Employees

Smartphone-based mobile payments are continuing to take root in Japan in all kinds of settings, from inside convenience stores and restaurants to public transportation. As adoption grows year by year, Japan-based SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) employees are at the forefront of the trend, using mobile payments more frequently than before. This trend and other findings came to light in a recent internal survey, as detailed below.

SoftBank employee mobile payment usage reaches 99%

The mobile payment adoption rate among SoftBank employees is remarkably high, with 99.7% reporting regular use. Notably, 99% of employees rely on "PayPay," a service offered by SoftBank Corp. subsidiary PayPay Corporation.

A similar internal survey conducted a year ago revealed significant growth in the amount spent when using mobile payments. The percentage of employees who reported spending over 100,000 yen per month rose to 26.1%, a 4.5-point increase from the previous survey's 21.6%. Furthermore, 53.5% of respondents indicated they spend over 50,000 yen monthly using mobile payments, up from 42.9% last year, marking a significant shift with more than half of employees surpassing this threshold.

A shift from cash to cashless payments

Where and how are SoftBank employees using mobile payments? The most common scenario is bill splitting with friends. In the previous survey period, nearly 70% of employees used PayPay's money transfer feature for bill splitting. The latest data suggests an even higher usage rate.

Another notable trend is a declining reliance on cash for all payment scenarios. Whether using PayPay, contactless payments, or credit cards, employees are increasingly embracing a cashless lifestyle. Outside the scope of this survey, respondents also said they are using mobile payments for concert tickets, laundromats, app purchases and subscriptions, hometown tax ("furusato nozei") payments, and sending money to their children.

The comfort of a cashless life

One comment from the survey succinctly captured the essence of the cashless lifestyle: "My smartphone is my wallet." As the remark suggests, smartphones now enable seamless payments for almost every aspect of daily life. With smartphones replacing wallets, over 60% of employees reported having left home with just their phones and no cash in their pockets.

When asked how mobile payments have impacted their lives, the most common response was, "I no longer carry much cash or a wallet." Employees highlighted various benefits of going cashless, including smoother transactions without the need for cash or coins and the convenience of traveling light without a wallet. Others noted they no longer worry about checking to see how much cash they have or paying ATM fees. Some even mentioned reduced stress and increased control over their finances, thanks to PayPay features like transaction history tracking for easier budgeting. Additionally, some employees shared that they have started participating in point-based reward programs and investing their points, another PayPay feature.

(Posted on March 4, 2025)
by SoftBank News Editors