Just when you thought you had a grip on all the inter-chain point cards on the Japanese market. Just when you thought it was safe to go into a convenience store…Along comes another one.

Convenience store giant Lawson is teaming up with Mitsubishi Corporation, Showa Shell and Geo to produce the PONTA point card, launching from Spring 2010.

The card has the hallmarks of others on the market: a recognizable cute tanuki (raccoon) mascot and a catchy, semi-English name (an abbreviation of “point terminal”). Starting with its four chief participants, the card will be expanded to 30 affiliates in three years’ time. The target is 30 million cardholders

Lawson et al are clearly here trying to combat the ubiquitous T-Card run by CCC (the group which includes TSUTAYA) and Family Mart, which at the end of September had 33 million members and 56 affiliates.

The Ponta card will be administrated by Loyalty Marketing, a subsidiary of Mitsubishi Corporation, and, although Lawson aims to offer the service alongside and incorporating their current Lawson Point Card (at present 10 million members), Geo will be disbanding its own customer loyalty card (also 10 million members) when current cards expire. Lawson has some 8,600 stores nationwide and its cooperation with Geo’s 950 outlets and Showa Shell’s 3500 makes Ponta a grand coalition that might just have the T-Card allies quaking.

[trendsinjapan]