Misa Tei: "Poi-katsu" for Seniors

"Poi-katsu" (point activities) is spreading among seniors. The practice of earning and using points through shopping and service usage, commonly known as "poi-katsu," is becoming popular across a wide range of age groups alongside the progress of cashless payments.

The Dai-ichi Life Research Institute, to which the author belongs, conducted the "Survey on the Lives and Attitudes of the Elderly" in 2024 in collaboration with Dai-ichi Life Card Service, targeting 2,400 men and women aged 50 to 79. According to the results, 56.7% of those aged 50 to 79 were engaged in some form of poi-katsu. There were no major differences by age, with more than half of people from middle-aged seniors in their 50s to seniors in their 70s practicing it.

Specific poi-katsu activities included many people who "present a point card when shopping" (often do = 44.3%), "use point sites on websites" (33.8%), and "choose a payment method with points in mind when making expensive purchases" (28.9%).

Among those around the author, there are seniors who actively engage in poi-katsu, such as those who watch explanations on video sites about how to save and use points effectively and act accordingly, or those who never fail to launch apps that accumulate points based on travel distance when going out. In this way, there are various styles of poi-katsu, and for those who do it, it is becoming a part of their daily routine.

One difference between those who do poi-katsu and those who do not is the gap in digital literacy. According to the aforementioned survey, when comparing the usage status of eight types of apps and devices (healthcare apps, map apps, shopping apps, SNS, messaging apps, video viewing apps, wearable devices, and photo/video sharing apps for families), the number of people who answered "I have used it and want to continue using it" among the eight types averaged 4.24 for those who do poi-katsu, compared to only 3.43 for those who do not. Furthermore, the percentage of people who manage bank balances or use online banking on their smartphones is also higher among those who do poi-katsu than those who do not.

In poi-katsu, there are many situations where smartphones are utilized, such as saving points on websites or presenting app-based point cards at stores. For these reasons, it is thought that high digital literacy—the ability to master digital devices—and the willingness to use them influence poi-katsu.

Poi-katsu has various benefits, such as "saving money" and "health promotion" if using services where points can be earned based on the number of steps taken. On the other hand, there are cases where poi-katsu is not necessarily an action based on economic rationality, such as becoming obsessed with the act of accumulating points itself. There are likely many people who have purchased products they didn't originally need just because they could earn a lot of points.

Particularly in poi-katsu for seniors, it is necessary to be mindful of troubles and issues caused by declining cognitive function. Comprehension, judgment, and memory decline with age. The academic field that studies the impact of such cognitive decline on economic activities and asset selection is called "financial gerontology," and research is being conducted at the Research Center for Financial Gerontology at Keio University as well.

While there is not yet much research on poi-katsu within financial gerontology, it is considered one of the perspectives to be examined in the future. For example, things like "there were restrictions on the use or expiration of points," "conditions for point granting were not met," or "unable to keep track of which app or card points are accumulated on" can happen even to non-seniors, and one must be even more careful when cognitive function declines. Furthermore, as mentioned earlier, since smartphones are often used to save points, people may fall for malicious sites or scams, leading to financial damage or the leakage of personal information.

To respond to these issues, it is desirable to deepen understanding of point mechanisms and risks, improve "poi-katsu literacy," and engage in poi-katsu while obtaining support from those around them as necessary. Additionally, as points have become an indispensable part of economic behavior, a discussion is needed on how they should be positioned in financial and economic education for all ages. At the same time, it is necessary to conduct more systematic research than ever before on the actual usage of points and their impact on behavior.

As the point service market is expected to expand and the number of senior users is expected to increase, businesses will be further required to design easy-to-understand services. It is hoped that a point service market will be formed that anyone can use with peace of mind and trust.