Exchanging business cards is part of Japan's basic work culture. But job-hopping and side jobs are becoming more widespread, and managing these cards can be troublesome. Some firms see this as a business opportunity and are now offering digital versions.
Tokyo start-up Studio Prairie has come up with plastic IC digital business cards. The user holds the card up to the smartphone of the person they are meeting and the information it contains is immediately transferred.
Users can also customize their cards by adding company profiles or even pictures and video clips they want to share.
Sansan is a business card management firm. Subscribers to its app can now introduce themselves merely by bringing their phones together. The information registered on the app is updated automatically when the subscriber is transferred to another post or moves to a different company.
A labor ministry report released in September this year reveals that 3.03 million people changed jobs in 2022. That's the first increase in three years.