Hands

What Hands does

株式会社ネクストハンズ (Next Hands Inc., previously 株式会社ハンズ) is a Japanese IT company founded in 1992 and headquartered in Shimizumachi, Shizuoka Prefecture. The company operates three lines of business anchored on proprietary SaaS platforms: (1) cloud-based e-commerce infrastructure — principally e-shops カートS, a multi-payment online-store builder serving roughly 15,000 registered merchants — alongside e-shops crayon (a no-code smartphone homepage-creation app with 500,000 cumulative global downloads), rental server hosting, domain management, and the BizPay invoice-to-card payment service operated in partnership with Paygent; (2) portal-site operations, including 網店ランキング (an e-commerce ranking portal running since September 2000 with ~15,000 listed stores) and e-shops ローカル (a regional business directory launched April 2009 with ~25,000 registered businesses); and (3) commissioned development of corporate websites, e-commerce sites, custom systems, smartphone apps, and SEO services. The company listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange TOKYO PRO Market in October 2025 under securities code 430A.

The underlying technology is a Python/PHP SaaS stack delivering cloud-hosted e-commerce, database management, security, and integrated payment processing through partnerships with Amazon Pay, PayPay, Paidy, Sony Payment Service, and Paygent. Revenue is generated through monthly SaaS subscriptions (publicly disclosed tiers at ¥3,960 / ¥5,500 / ¥8,800 per month for カートS), commissioned-development professional services, and portal-site advertising. Customers are predominantly small and medium-sized Japanese e-commerce operators, with a secondary regional-government presence in eastern Shizuoka (Mishima, Numazu, Shimizumachi, Nagatsumachi). The company holds a registered business model patent (ビジネスモデル特許) and a JIPDEC Privacy Mark (certificate 19001402), and is a Grow with Google partner since August 2022.

Go-to-market is hybrid: self-serve SaaS sign-up and free-consultation inquiry forms on owned web properties, supported by content marketing through the 決済コラム fintech blog and organic SEO via the long-running portal sites. Direct revenue is not publicly disclosed, and no venture or private-equity backing has been identified prior to the 2025 PRO Market listing.

Name

Hands

Legal name

株式会社ネクストハンズ

Website

https://hands-inc.co.jp

Company type

Public

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Ipo

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Next Hands (株式会社ネクストハンズ) is a Shizuoka-based Japanese IT company operating e-commerce SaaS (e-shops カートS, ~15,000 stores), no-code smartphone site builder (e-shops crayon), B2B invoice-payment tools, and commissioned development services, serving SMB e-commerce merchants and local governments in Japan.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

E-commerce SaaS Platform

NAICS

Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (5182)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)

akta.pro primary industry

Software/SaaS Subscriptions (Consumer & Prosumer) (CRAFAIAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Marketplace / Multi-Lender POS Financing Aggregators (FSAGAIAJ), Professional & Business Services Marketplaces (Freelancers, SMB Services) (BPAMAHAG)

Keywords

• E-commerce SaaS platform
• Online store builder
• Payment integration services
• Homepage creation software
• Commissioned web development

Headquarters

HQ city

Shinjuku

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. SaaS Subscription Services: Monthly subscription fees from SaaS products including e-shops カートS (e-commerce cart service), e-shops crayon (homepage creation app), rental server services, domain management, and invoice card payment (BizPay) services.
2. Commissioned Development Services: Custom development services including corporate website creation, EC site construction, system commissioned development, smartphone app development, and SEO services. Revenue generated from project-based professional services.
3. Portal Site Operations: Revenue from operating portal sites including 网店ランキング (e-commerce ranking portal) and e-shops ローカル (local business directory), which attract registrations and advertising from e-commerce operators.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Next Hands operates a portfolio of proprietary SaaS products anchored by e-shops カートS, a cloud-based e-commerce cart platform with integrated payment gateways (PayPay, Amazon Pay, Paidy, Sony Payment Service, Paygent) serving ~15,000 registered stores. Complementary SaaS offerings include e-shops crayon (smartphone homepage builder, 500,000 global downloads), rental server, BizPay invoice-to-card payment, and domain management, plus two portal sites (e-commerce ranking and local business directory). The company also delivers commissioned development services for corporate websites, EC site construction, custom systems, smartphone apps, and SEO.

Product overview

株式会社ネクストハンズ operates a multi-product SaaS and services portfolio anchored by its core e-commerce platform e-shops カートS, which provides full-featured online store construction with integrated payment processing. Complementary SaaS offerings include e-shops crayon (smartphone-only homepage builder, 50万 downloads globally), レンタルサーバー, BizPay 請求書カード払い (invoice-to-card BPSP service via Paygent partnership), and ドメイン管理代行. The company also runs two portal sites — 网店ランキング (e-commerce ranking portal, ~15,000 registered stores since 2000) and e-shops ローカル (local business directory portal, ~25,000 registered businesses since 2009) — and offers a suite of 受託開発 services including 企业HP作成, ECサイト構築, システム受託開発, スマホアプリ開発, and SEO対策. The product portfolio spans SaaS platforms, portal sites, and custom development services, serving primarily SMBs and local businesses in Shizuoka Prefecture with an expanding national reach.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• e-shopsカートS: okee shopscartS - EC site building service for online store opening support
• e-shops crayon
• e-shopsローカル
• 网店ランキング
• BizPay
• デジタル集金袋
• 即チケ

Products and services

• e-shops カートS (e-shops Cart S) Cloud-based SaaS e-commerce platform that enables merchants to build and operate online stores with integrated support for diverse payment methods (credit card, QR codes, convenience store payment, carrier billing), mobile-responsive design, and QR code aggregation functionality. Serves approximately 15,000 registered stores.
• e-shops crayon Smartphone-only homepage creation application that allows users to build websites without coding knowledge. Achieved 500,000 global downloads as of August 2023.
• レンタルサーバー (Rental Server) Web hosting service for websites and applications, part of the company's long-standing internet infrastructure offerings.
• BizPay 請求書カード払い (BPSP Invoice Card Payment) Invoice card payment service enabling businesses to pay various invoices via credit card, extending payment terms up to 60 days. Provided in partnership with Paygent.
• ドメイン管理代行 (Domain Management Service) Domain name management and registration proxy service bundled with the SaaS offering.
• ネットショップランキング (E-commerce Shop Ranking Portal) Portal site that categorizes and ranks online stores by product category, helping consumers discover e-commerce merchants. Approximately 15,000 registered stores since launch.
• e-shops ローカル (e-shops Local) Regional/local business information portal connecting businesses with local consumers searching for nearby services. Approximately 25,000 registered businesses.
• デジタル集金袋 (Digital Collection Bag) Digital collection bag service for digital payment collection, accessible at shuukin.jp.
• 即チケ (Soku-Ticket) Instant ticket service for immediate ticket issuance and management, accessible at soku-ticket.jp.
• ECサイト構築 (E-commerce Site Construction Service) Full-service e-commerce site construction and setup service, leveraging 20 years of rental shopping cart operations and accumulated expertise.
• 企業ホームページ作成 (Corporate Website Creation Service) Corporate website design and development service, delivering high-quality design, SEO optimization, and reliable maintenance for regional businesses.
• システム受託開発 (Custom System Development) Custom systems development service utilizing Python and PHP, leveraging experience from long-running SaaS services in security, database optimization, and large-scale data management.
• スマホアプリ開発 (Smartphone App Development) Smartphone application development service drawing on hands-on experience from operating e-shops crayon and e-commerce-focused app development projects.
• SEO対策 (SEO Services) Search engine optimization service applying the company's accumulated SEO knowledge and latest trend analysis from running its own services.

Quantifiable outcome

• e-shops crayon app achieved 500,000 global downloads
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered notable and core.

• 株式会社デザインスタジオフェニックスnotableStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 November 2025Design partner contract established to improve service quality and creative output. 株式会社ネクストハンズ and 株式会社デザインスタジオフェニックス formed a design partner agreement, leveraging Design Studio Phoenix's specialized expertise for high-quality creative services from UX optimization to brand building for client projects including corporate website creation and EC site construction.
• Amazon Pay (Amazon)coreTechnology or Integratione-shops カートS integrated with Amazon Pay, enabling online merchants to accept payments via Amazon accounts. Partnership announced October 2023 with a launch campaign.
• PayPaycoreTechnology or Integratione-shops カートS integrated with PayPay QR code payment, enabling merchants to accept PayPay payments. Featured in Shizuoka Shimbun and Nihon Keizai Shimbun coverage in March 2020.
• PaidynotableTechnology or Integratione-shops カートS integrated with Paidy post-pay service, allowing merchants to offer 'buy now, pay later' functionality using only phone number and email address. Partnership announced December 2022.
• ソニーペイメントサービス株式会社notableTechnology or Integratione-shops カートS integrated with Sony Payment Services payment processing service, expanding available payment methods for merchants.
• 株式会社ペイジェント (Paygent)coreTechnology or IntegrationPaygent provides the BizPay invoice card payment service (請求書カード払い) offered through Next Hands. Paygent is a joint venture between NTT Data (50%) and Mitsubishi UFJ NICOS (50%), providing stable payment infrastructure. NTT Data provides the technical foundation while Mitsubishi UFJ NICOS contributes the merchant network.
• Google (Grow with Google)notableGTM or Marketing PartnerCompany became a 'Grow with Google' partner in August 2022, enabling provision of online courses and digital skill training content.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Jimdo: Jimdo offers a no-code website and store builder with strong presence in Japan and Europe. Closely comparable to e-shops crayon and e-shops カートS on SMB DIY site-building use cases.
• Squarespace: Squarespace is a global no-code website builder targeting SMBs and creators. Comparable to e-shops crayon and to e-shops カートS on premium DIY website and storefront creation.
• Shopify: Shopify is the global leader in SMB e-commerce SaaS with growing presence in Japan. Competes broadly with e-shops カートS on subscription commerce functionality, though at a much larger scale and with broader feature set.
• GMO Pepabo (Color Me Shop / hosay): GMO Pepabo operates Color Me Shop and other SMB e-commerce / web-building services in Japan. Competes in the same DIY e-commerce and website builder category as Next Hands' SaaS portfolio.
• Wix.com: Wix provides no-code website and online store builders globally, including Japan. Competes with both e-shops カートS (e-commerce) and e-shops crayon (no-code site creation) at broader scale.

Direct peers

• BASE (BASE, Inc.): BASE operates one of Japan's leading no-code e-commerce SaaS platforms serving SMB merchants. Directly comparable to e-shops カートS in target customer (Japanese SMBs and individual sellers) and core functionality (storefront creation and integrated payments).
• MakeShop (GMO MakeShop): GMO MakeShop offers an established Japanese e-commerce platform with multi-payment support and a large merchant base. Competes head-to-head with e-shops カートS for SMB and mid-market e-commerce operators in Japan.
• STORES (Stores, Inc.): STORES provides a no-code online store builder and payment processing for Japanese SMBs. Overlaps directly with e-shops カートS on subscription-based e-commerce SaaS for small merchants and on integrated payment offerings.
• futuroma: futurama (formerly E-store) operates an e-commerce ranking and shop directory portal in Japan similar to ネットショップランキング. Direct peer for the long-standing portal business and SMB merchant listing model.

Others

• Paygent Corporation: Paygent is a payment processing and BNPL infrastructure provider used by Next Hands for BizPay invoice-card and e-shops カートS payment integration. Ecosystem partner rather than competitor, but indicates the company's reliance on third-party payment rails.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Hands