That’s probably a big deal in Asia. I get the impression banking is not so smooth an experience out there (most specifically in Japan), and instead most people still work directly with cash; so any gacha game or online store will very much rely on convenience stores to stock their cards.
It’s not that banking is difficult in Japan (unless you’re a foreigner), it’s just culturally a cash-centric economy. There’s a whole etiquette about placing your money on a specific plate, making sure the bills are face-side up, paying as close to exact change as possible, etc.
Japanese 7-11’s all have an ATM that will accept American debit cards and allow you to withdraw Yen, even handling the conversion fee for you. Cash cards with RFID chips like Suica make subway/train fare super fast and simple. It’s not for lack of technology, for sure.
That’s probably a big deal in Asia. I get the impression banking is not so smooth an experience out there (most specifically in Japan), and instead most people still work directly with cash; so any gacha game or online store will very much rely on convenience stores to stock their cards.
It’s not that banking is difficult in Japan (unless you’re a foreigner), it’s just culturally a cash-centric economy. There’s a whole etiquette about placing your money on a specific plate, making sure the bills are face-side up, paying as close to exact change as possible, etc.
Japanese 7-11’s all have an ATM that will accept American debit cards and allow you to withdraw Yen, even handling the conversion fee for you. Cash cards with RFID chips like Suica make subway/train fare super fast and simple. It’s not for lack of technology, for sure.