What USEN does

USEN (株式会社USEN), founded in 1961 and headquartered in Tokyo's Meguro Central Square, Shinagawa-ku, is a Japanese store digital transformation (DX) platform that has evolved from a wired music broadcasting (BGM) service into a comprehensive multi-category solution for brick-and-mortar operators. Its portfolio spans proprietary POS registers and order management systems (USENレジ and vertical variants for beauty, retail, and healthcare), cashless payment processing (USEN PAY, supporting ~70 payment brands), AI-powered security and customer analytics cameras (U EYES / USEN Camera), digital signage (USENサイネージ), store telecommunications (USEN AIR, USEN光, USEN PHONE, IP FAX), commercial robotics distributed from PUDU, reservation management (USEN SMART RESERVE), insurance agency services, energy supply, and a business launch support portal (canaeru). The company develops its own URX-02 set-top box hardware and cloud management infrastructure, and operates a Sound Space Design Lab that conducts academic research into the effects of BGM on consumer behavior.

The underlying technology platform unifies BGM, POS, payments, AI camera analytics, digital signage, and telecom into a single IoT ecosystem, with AI music selection automatically adjusting tracks based on real-time store crowding and customer demographics detected by the camera system. USEN serves a primarily vertical-segmented customer base — F&B restaurants and izakaya, beauty salons, retail stores, healthcare clinics, hotels, and corporate offices — with a go-to-market combining direct field sales for enterprise clients, online consultation booking for mid-market prospects, an e-commerce storefront (USEN CART) for existing customers, and a partner/reseller network. Revenue is generated through subscription-based BGM, signage rental, and telecom contracts; hardware sales of POS terminals, cameras, and robots; transaction fees on cashless payments; and insurance commissions. USEN claims No.1 market share in Japanese store BGM (January 2025 survey) and store security cameras (December 2023), and operates approximately 140 service locations nationwide. The company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of U-NEXT HOLDINGS under the USEN & U-NEXT GROUP, led by President and Representative Director Takabune Yasuhiko.

Name

USEN

Legal name

株式会社USEN

Website

https://usen.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1961

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

USEN (株式会社USEN), founded 1961 in Tokyo, operates a comprehensive Japanese store DX platform spanning BGM, POS registers, cashless payments, AI cameras, digital signage, telecom, robotics, and insurance for F&B, salon, retail, healthcare, hotel, and office operators across ~140 nationwide service locations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Store Digital Transformation (DX) Platform

NAICS

Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (51621), Custom Computer Programming Services (541511), Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (518)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370), Telephone Communications (No Radiotelephone) (4813), Services-Equipment Rental & Leasing, Nec (7359)

akta.pro primary industry

Billing, Payments & Subscription Management (MPAHAJAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Integrated POS Payments (ISVs & Vertical POS Platforms) (FSAMADAD), POS, SoftPOS & In-Person Acceptance Infrastructure (FSAGABAO), Customer Support, CRM & Retention Tooling (Helpdesk, Churn, Messaging) (MPAHAJAM)

Keywords

• Store background music
• POS register systems
• Cashless payment services
• Digital signage solutions
• Store digital transformation

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. BGM Music Broadcasting (USEN MUSIC): Subscription-based wired music broadcasting service for commercial establishments (stores, restaurants, offices). Generates recurring monthly subscription revenue. Industry No.1 market share in Japan for store BGM.
2. POS Systems (USENレジ series): POS register terminals and order management systems for restaurants, salons, retail stores, and medical clinics. Sold and serviced with ongoing support contracts.
3. Cashless Payment Services (USEN PAY series): Cashless payment processing services supporting approximately 70 payment brands. Revenue generated from transaction fees.
4. Security & AI Cameras (USEN Camera): Cloud and IP camera systems with AI customer analytics. Sold with cloud recording subscription and analytics add-on plans.
5. Digital Signage (USENサイネージ): Digital signage hardware rental and content management service. STB is loaned, with rental fees generating recurring revenue.
6. Telecommunications (USEN AIR, USEN光, USEN PHONE): Internet/Wi-Fi and IP phone services for stores, generating recurring subscription revenue.
7. Robotics (Delivery/Cleaning Robots): Sale and service of Pudu Robotics and other robot lines for food service operations.
8. Insurance (損害保険代理業): Agency sales of USEN少額短期保険 and 損害保険ジャパン insurance products to store operators.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

USEN is a one-stop store digital transformation (DX) platform for Japanese commercial establishments, founded in 1961 on wired BGM broadcasting and now spanning proprietary POS registers (USENレジ), cashless payments (USEN PAY series), AI-driven customer analytics cameras (USEN Camera / U EYES), digital signage, in-store BGM with AI music selection (USEN MUSIC), reservation management, store telecommunications (USEN AIR, USEN光, USEN PHONE), commercial robotics (PUDU delivery/cleaning lines), and agency insurance/energy services. It delivers these primarily through a direct field-sales motion backed by ~140 nationwide service locations and bundles them for full store-lifecycle coverage from opening to daily operations.

Product overview

USEN is a comprehensive store DX (digital transformation) platform offering a modular portfolio of products and services spanning POS/settlement, customer acquisition/reservation, music streaming, telecommunications, security cameras, digital signage, robotics, insurance/energy, and business launch support. The core platform rests on two pillars: USENレジ (proprietary POS register and order management system) and USEN MUSIC (BGM streaming service with AI-optimized selection, industry-leading market share). These connect to an expanding ecosystem of modules including USEN PAY / USEN PAY+ (cashless payments), USEN SMART RESERVE (reservation management), USEN MUSIC Entertainment (BGM + video + sports), USEN Camera / U EYES (AI-powered security and customer analytics cameras), USENサイネージ (digital signage), and PUDU-based delivery/cleaning robots. Industry-specific sub-brands (USENレジTAB BEAUTY, STORE, HEALTHCARE) extend the POS line to salons, retail, and healthcare. USEN's product strategy is distinguished by its one-stop multi-category approach: a single vendor relationship covers the full store lifecycle from opening (canaeru), operations (POS, payments, BGM, Wi-Fi, cameras), marketing (signage, apps), and risk management (insurance, energy). The portfolio comprises over 40 named products across 8 core categories, unified under the USEN & U-NEXT GROUP.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• USEN MUSIC: Store background music service offering a wide variety of music channels curated for commercial environments, holding the industry's No. 1 market share.
• USEN MUSIC Entertainment
• USENレジ (USEN Regi)
• USEN PAY
• USEN PAY+
• USEN SMART RESERVE
• USEN Camera / U EYES
• USEN SMART RESERVE
• USENサイネージ
• canaeru
• OTORAKU -音・楽-
• USEN SMART RESERVE
• ヒトサラ (Hito Sara)
• SAVOR JAPAN
• アプリンク (AppLunk)
• USEN AIR / USEN AIR UNLIMITED
• USEN PHONE
• USEN おんストキャスト (USEN Omotenashi Cast)
• USEN CART
• Watashi Shokutaku (私の食卓)
• Smart USEN
• USEN Home / Home BGM
• Sound Design for OFFICE
• WEDDING MUSIC BOX
• encore (アンコール)
• music.usen.com / USEN MUSIC GUIDE
• USEN MUSIC GARDEN
• NADESHIKO HOTEL SHIBUYA
• デンタマッププラス (Denta Map Plus)
• USEN Wi-Fi
• USEN 光
• USEN GAS
• USEN スタッフシフト
• USEN Order & Pay
• USEN My Menu Premium
• KettyBot Pro / PuduBot2 / BellaBot Pro
• PUDU T300 / PUDU CC1 / KLEENBOT C30 / PUDU MT1
• NEXTクラウドビュー (NEXT Cloud View)
• USEN Ticket & Pay
• USEN 推し活リクエスト
• USEN ポイントはける

Products and services

• USEN MUSIC Store background music streaming service with AI-supported music selection; industry No.1 market share in Japan (January 2025 internet survey of store employees), offered to commercial establishments via subscription.
• USENレジ (USEN Regi) Proprietary POS register and order management system designed from the terminal level for restaurants, combining more than half a century of on-site operational know-how with the latest technology.
• USEN PAY Cashless payment service supporting approximately 70 payment brands, including cards, QR codes, and other contactless methods, with revenue generated from transaction fees.
• USEN PAY+ Unified management service combining both cashless and cash payment workflows for merchants.
• USEN SMART RESERVE All-in-one restaurant reservation management system linking real-time inventory and online payment, supporting restaurant revenue optimization from reservation through checkout.
• USEN MUSIC Entertainment BGM combined with video, entertainment content, and DAZN sports streaming — integrating music, background video, and live sports programming in a single platform for stores.
• U MUSIC Enterprise Multi-store BGM management platform for chain operators with AI-powered music selection, dual CM distribution (customer area vs. staff room), and cloud-based settings management including automatic restoration on hardware replacement.
• OTORAKU -音・楽- Specialized music streaming service for beauty salons and similar service businesses, offering curated BGM programs tailored to the beauty industry.
• USEN AIR / USEN AIR UNLIMITED Store internet and Wi-Fi service with 5G-enabled models, providing network infrastructure for store equipment and customer free Wi-Fi.
• USEN光 (USEN Hikari) Fiber optic internet service for stores, bundling broadband connectivity with IP phone capability.
• USEN PHONE IP phone and IP FAX service not requiring traditional phone lines; supports smartphone-based FAX reception and local area code acquisition.
• USEN Camera / U EYES Cloud and IP security camera system with AI-powered customer analytics — face detection, demographic estimation, foot-traffic correlation with POS data, and visitor-analysis recording modes.
• USENサイネージ (USEN Signage) Digital signage solution with indoor, outdoor, and hybrid display options, tag-based automated playlist generation, USEN MUSIC integration, interruptible content playback, and approximately 2,500 video templates available on STB rental.
• U MESSAGE Application service for creating custom in-store voice announcements and CM content using recording, ReadSpeaker text-to-speech synthesis across four languages, and over 1,000 pre-recorded audio assets.
• PUDU Delivery & Cleaning Robots PUDU Robotics lines distributed and serviced by USEN in Japan — KettyBot Pro, PuduBot2, BellaBot Pro (food delivery), PUDU T300 (transport/material handling), PUDU CC1, KLEENBOT C30, and PUDU MT1 (cleaning).
• canaeru (カナエル) Business launch support portal offering consulting, seminars, and one-stop access to funding, property, and opening support services for new store businesses.
• 開業おまかせプラン (Opening Omakase Plan) Bundled business opening plan consolidating the services needed to open a new store (BGM, POS, payments, signage, telecoms) to reduce pre- and post-opening workload.
• ヒトサラ (Hitosara) Restaurant-focused video and social media marketing platform that attracts customers through visual content and SNS promotion.
• SAVOR JAPAN Inbound tourism restaurant reservation and tourism service supporting four languages covering approximately 80% of inbound visitors to Japan, with online payment and no-show prevention.
• アプリンク (Applink) Store app creation service enabling restaurants and retail businesses to build branded mobile apps for customer engagement and operational efficiency.
• USEN Insurance (USEN少額短期保険 / 損保ジャパン) Insurance agency services offering USEN少額短期保険 short-term insurance products and 損保ジャパン (Sompo Japan) products to commercial store operators.
• USENでんき / USEN GAS Electricity and gas supply services for commercial establishments, with fixed-cost review consulting for cost reduction.
• USENレジTAB BEAUTY POS register tailored for beauty salons, managing appointments, services, and product sales.
• USENレジTAB STORE POS register configured for retail stores, handling product inventory, sales, and reporting.
• USENレジTAB HEALTHCARE POS register designed for treatment clinics, managing consultation fees, treatments, and product sales.
• USEN セルフレジ (USEN Self-Regi) Self-checkout register for restaurants enabling customers to place and pay for orders independently.
• USEN RESERVE BEAUTY Reservation system specifically designed for beauty salons.
• USEN Order & Pay Order and payment service enabling customers to order and pay via QR code for restaurants.
• USEN My Menu Premium Digital menu board service for restaurants.
• NADESHIKO HOTEL SHIBUYA Hotel property operated by USEN targeting female guests, with systems managed through USEN's hospitality solutions.
• Smart USEN / USEN Home (Home BGM) Direct-to-consumer BGM service for general household use, extending USEN's wired broadcasting service to residential subscribers.
• USEN CART Online shopping site exclusively for USEN service subscribers to purchase supplies and accessories.

Named customers9 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

AI capability8 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• PUDU (PuDu Robotics)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUSEN is the exclusive or primary Japanese distributor for Pudu Robotics commercial robots, including delivery robots (KettyBot Pro, PuduBot2, BellaBot Pro), transport robots (PUDU T300), and cleaning robots (PUDU CC1, PUDU MT1). USEN also provides after-sales service and support. USEN was awarded Pudu's 'Best Partner Award' and 'Best Service Partner Award' globally for 3 consecutive years, demonstrating the depth of this distribution and service partnership.
• JASRAC (Japanese Society for Rights of Authors, Composers and Publishers)coreTechnology or IntegrationUSEN MUSIC holds music licensing agreements with JASRAC (license number 第9005801063Y31018号) enabling legal broadcast of copyrighted music in commercial establishments.
• POCKETALK (Sourceikkusu)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUSEN offers POCKETALK translation device rental service, supporting multilingual communication for inbound tourists at commercial establishments.
• U-NEXT HOLDINGS (株式会社 U-NEXT HOLDINGS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUSEN is a subsidiary of U-NEXT HOLDINGS (USEN & U-NEXT GROUP). The group combines USEN's B2B store operations platform with U-NEXT's video streaming services, enabling joint offerings such as USEN MUSIC Entertainment with video content and the SAVOR JAPAN inbound tourism reservation platform.
• 損害保険ジャパン株式会社 (Sompo Japan)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUSEN acts as an insurance agency selling 損害保険ジャパン products in addition to its own USEN少額短期保険 products, providing store operators with business risk insurance.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Soundtrack Your Brand: B2B background music streaming service owned by Spotify, directly competing with USEN MUSIC for store and restaurant BGM accounts with cloud-native delivery and global content libraries.
• ALMEX (TIS subsidiary): Japan-based POS and self-ordering/kiosk provider serving restaurants, retail, and healthcare (including dental), directly overlapping USENレジ's vertical-specific POS sub-brands like HEALTHCARE.
• Recruit Holdings (AirPay / Airレジ): Operates AirPay (cashless payments) and Airレジ (POS for SMBs), directly competing with USEN PAY and USENレジ in Japanese restaurants and small retailers with a strong free/SMB tier.
• SoftBank Payment Service (SBPS): Japanese payment processing and gateway provider serving online and offline merchants; directly comparable to USEN PAY's merchant services with broader brand coverage and enterprise integrations.

Broad incumbents

• Internet Initiative Japan (IIJ): Japanese telecom and network services provider whose enterprise connectivity and managed network offerings compete with USEN AIR, USEN光, and USEN PHONE for store and SMB connectivity contracts.
• Stripe: Global payments infrastructure leader whose Stripe Terminal and payment APIs compete with USEN PAY's transaction-processing layer, particularly as Japanese merchants adopt unified commerce stacks.
• Block (Square): Global POS + payments incumbent (Square, Cash App) whose integrated hardware/software commerce platform competes with USEN's POS + payments stack for SMB merchant acquisition worldwide, including Japan expansion.
• DENTSU (digital signage / DOOH): Japan's largest advertising agency group with significant digital out-of-home and in-store signage operations; competes with USENサイネージ for enterprise retail signage contracts at the network/media layer.

Emerging players

• BellSystem24: Japan-based CX, contact center, and digital marketing services provider whose customer engagement and omnichannel capabilities overlap with USEN's hospitality, reservation, and marketing services.
• B-Roll Inc. (Canly): Japanese digital signage and in-store media startup offering cloud-based signage CMS and content services, overlapping USENサイネージ's display management and ~2,500-template content offering with a more software-native approach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/smartusen
• Facebookfacebook.com/usen.corp
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/usen-corporation

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A2 records

Investments4 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about USEN