JCB and Nowcast to Release Updated Big Data Consumption Index JCB Consumption NOW

JCB and Nowcast to Release Updated Big Data Consumption Index JCB Consumption NOW
Now visualizes more detailed consumption trends in Japan

2nd October 2018, Tokyo - JCB, the only international payment brand based in Japan, and Nowcast, a Japanese financial research and technology startup, are pleased to announce the release of the updated and expanded consumption index service JCB Consumption NOW on 5 November. JCB Consumption NOW was launched in May 2017 to enable users to track Japan retail consumption trends on a real-time basis. A wide range of national and local government agencies, institutional investors, financial institutions as well as consumer-goods companies have been taking advantage of the consumption indexes based on JCB group cardmember spending data* .

The updated JCB Consumption NOW will provide a breakdown by age, gen der, and residence area of statistics for consumer spending – goods, consumer spending – services, and five industries including ecommerce. In addition, statistics will be released sooner than before for even timelier information.
Click here for more information about JCB Consumption NOW.
https://www.jcbconsumptionnow.com/en 

JCB Consumption NOW Update

*Note that individual JCB cardmembers cannot be identified with the information provided by JCB Consumption NOW.
JCB Consumption NOW Features
（１）1. Multifaceted analyses Based on actual consumption data so you can follow consumption trends by industry and channel of sales, analysis that is unavailable with other indexes. Now JCB Consumption NOW will provide even finer-grained analysis by age, gender, and residence area.
（２）2. More timely updates Consumption indexes for actual spending from the 1st to the 15th of the month is available on the 1st of the next month, and for spending from the 16th to the end of the month on the 15th of the next month – faster than other consumption index services.
（３）3. More detailed analyses The index uses a data sample from JCB group cardmember payment information, providing statistics that are close to the population of Japan as a whole with a high degree of accuracy.
（４）4. Protection of privacy and personal information Customer payment and demographic information is anonymized as required by Japan’s Act on the Protection of Personal Information to protect the privacy and personal information of JCB cardmembers.
About the data used for calculating JCB Consumption NOW statistics
The updated JCB Consumption NOW uses anonymized JCB cardmember payment information to calculate consumption statistics. Anonymized information is processed as required by Japan’s Act on the Protection of Personal Information so that individuals cannot be identified from the information and the information cannot be restored to an unanonymized state. JCB encrypts the anonymized information and transmits it to Nowcast via secure channels
.
About JCB
JCB is a major global payment brand and a leading payment card issuer and acquirer in Japan. JCB launched its card business in Japan in 1961 and began expanding worldwide in 1981. As part of its international growth strategy, JCB has formed alliances with hundreds of leading banks and financial institutions globally to increase merchant coverage and card member base. As a comprehensive payment solution provider, JCB commits to provide responsive and high-quality service and products to all customers worldwide. For more information, please visit:https://www.global.jcb/en/ 
Contact
JCB Co., Ltd.
Kumiko Kida
Corporate Communications
Tel: +81-3-5778-8353
Email: kumiko.kida@jcb.co.jp
Nowcast lnc.
Masashi Tsujinaka
TEL: +81-3-6272-5550
Email: tsujinaka@nowcast.co.jp