Smart Pit
Boosting Billing and Payment Convenience

A convenience store agency service developed to streamline payments, Smart Pit enables consumers to make secure payments at convenience stores without the need to provide personal information.

It facilitates payment processes as soon as the business registers billing information and drives seamless transactions, saving time and costs usually allotted to generate payment slips and transfer data to relevant entities. The company also broadens payment options for end users without credit cards by allowing them to pay in cash at convenience store counters.

Smart Pit allows users to make monthly payments at convenience stores using a unique Smart Pit number, which can be generated on its website after filling out a quick application form. A key differentiating factor is its immediate billing and collection notification feature, which enables users to receive the Smart Pit number and a link to the dedicated billing sheet on an ad-hoc basis to make the payment. Today, the service is available at 33,000 convenience stores in Japan.

“Beyond pre- and post-payment at e-commerce and convenience stores, our service’s convenience and security make it a popular payment avenue for utility bills, mail orders, membership charges, examination fees, and more,” says Haruki Shimizu, director and senior executive manager.

Depending on their objectives, end users can choose from three Smart Pit plans—Light type, standard usage [Regular Type (RT)/ Super Type (ST)], and repeat usage [Regular Type (RT)/Super Type (ST)].

Its Light Type plan is widely used for B2C and B2B purposes and recommended for companies that want to quickly introduce Smart Pit into their existing payment infrastructure. Alternatively, the repeat usage plan enables users to use various options like fixed-fee recharge and other models to satisfy the payment and billing requirements of businesses.

While the light plan is best suited for companies with many transactions and those looking to automate billing and collection, the repeat usage plan allows businesses to preset billing information used periodically, like charging electronic money, paying telephone charges, and more. Across both usage plans, the company uses inter-system connectivity powered by the internet or leased lines to enable real-time information integration.

From a pricing standpoint, the light-type plan comes with an initial application and administrative fee of 3,000 yen ($22) and 5,000 yen ($36), respectively, boosting its adoption across businesses of all sizes. Unlike most billing partners that price their services exorbitantly, Smart Pit deducts a handling fee when transferring consumer payments to the billing company. This capability empowers it to deliver the service at a low cost with no basic monthly fees.

An excellent example of Smart Pit’s impact is that of Japanese telecom companies, which use the innovative payment and billing service to offer international calls. It is also helping telecoms boost customer retention by giving consumers a simpler way to pay phone bills. Currently, it is a popular method in Japan's international call recharge model as many tourists use Smart Pit to purchase SIMs within the island nation. Similarly, numerous companies use the company’s service to collect monthly Wi-Fi fees.

A success story highlighting Smart Pit’s advantages is when Brastel Co. Ltd. started using the service to offer customers a convenient way to recharge their prepaid cards for international communications. This collaboration led to the launch of Brastel Card, the first rechargeable prepaid international communication card in the Japanese telecom market. Since its introduction, the SIM has gained significant appeal among tourists in Japan as it allows affordable international calls to 240 countries and can be recharged at convenience stores. Besides the successful partnership with Brastel, the company is expanding its use with rental routers and rechargeable SIM cards through partnerships with companies targeting tourists from North America, Asia, and Europe.

Many Japanese businesses have successfully solved their payment challenges using Smart Pit and its unique features. Moving forward, the company aims to continue boosting its capabilities and emerge as the go-to payment solution across Japan and beyond.