[Shopify Merchant Interview Series]
EVERING, the ring-shaped payment device, marks its fifth anniversary this year. Rather than relying on a lavish advertising budget, it has built touchpoints with users through a distinctive approach—partnering with telecom carriers and other companies, sponsoring the World Expo, and more—gradually bringing this unprecedented experience to the world.
In an age with no clear right answer in the market, from what perspective should a brand define its value, and how should it keep its edge? In Part 2 of this interview, we spoke with Ken Kawada, President and CEO of EVERING Inc., about the future EVERING envisions and the shape the brand aims to take.
(Ken Kawada, President and CEO of EVERING Inc.)
You can read Part 1 of this interview here.
[Store Interview Part 1] Delivering an Unprecedented E-Commerce Experience with Ring-Shaped Payments: EVERING | Ken Kawada, EVERING Inc.
Brand Awareness Spreading Through Connections: Where We Stand at Five Years
(EVERING's brand logo, symbolizing the ring)
—— Since the pandemic, countless brands have launched online only to disappear. Building a market from zero and reaching your fifth anniversary is truly remarkable. Could you tell us what has changed over these five years?
Ken Kawada (hereafter, Kawada) We've made major changes to our messaging and creative several times, always in line with the brand's core. But more than that, these five years have been about growing the EVERING brand by connecting with a wide range of partners.
A year ago, we formed a business partnership with NTT DOCOMO and began selling at DOCOMO Shops. Since April this year, we've also rolled out nationwide sales at au Shops, and we provided rings free of charge to the World Expo as a Gold Partner.
We're still a small company, so we can't pour in the kind of massive marketing budget that a major corporation can. It's precisely because we built up these relationships one by one that they've resulted in growing awareness of EVERING.
—— So the relationships you've built with customers and partners have led to where you are today.
Kawada The name EVERING carries the meaning "Everything × Ring = a ring connected to everything." It's a concept that represents both the ring's function and the connections we have with our partners.
There are also many partnerships that haven't been made public yet. Regardless of how visible they are, we've valued these connections all along.
(EVERING ring-shaped payment device)
A Channel Strategy That Adapts to the Experience Being Communicated
Kawada Over these five years, we've tried out many different ways of selling. We tried showroom-style shops that showcased just the latest technology rather than selling products, sales through department stores, and recently we've resumed dealing with nationwide consumer electronics retailers as well.
EVERING isn't the kind of product people casually walk in and buy on the spot—it's a product that needs explanation. It's the kind of product whose message gets across best in places where people can settle in and really listen, so our partnership with carrier shops was a great fit.
That said, some people buy it on impulse on Amazon, and others read through our own site carefully before buying. Some people go to a store thinking, "Let me just get my size measured at the nearby DOCOMO Shop."
These multiple layers of customer journeys are all functioning together, and in the sense of making sure the product can be bought somewhere, no matter the path, carrier shops have become our core sales channel right now.
How EVERING Reaches People Across Generations and Channels
(Payment is completed just by tapping EVERING on a terminal)
—— As cashless payments have spread, payment methods seem to have diversified a lot over these five years. Has there been any change in EVERING's user base?
Kawada We definitely feel that our user base has broadened.
Originally, our main users were people in their 30s and 40s who loved gadgets, liked trying interesting new things, and bought EVERING because they felt "it's convenient and fits my lifestyle."
From there, once our partnership with DOCOMO began, our age range broadened all at once. We now see a wide span of customers—from people in their mid-30s with children to people in their 60s and 70s. Many of them tend to be more conservative about IT and finance, and prefer asking someone and deciding together rather than researching everything themselves online.
—— At first glance, I would have imagined that group to be hesitant about trying an unfamiliar payment device, so that's an interesting expansion.
Kawada Once you set up EVERING with the dedicated app in advance, you don't need to operate your phone or the app for everyday use. There's no need to connect to your phone via Bluetooth or anything else at the time of payment—you just tap the ring and it's done. Because it's prepaid, there's less worry about "suddenly realizing you've overspent," and if you ever happen to lose the ring, you can stop it from being used with a single tap in the app.
We're seeing more and more cases where people who haven't used cashless payments before start paying with EVERING because they can use it with peace of mind.
(The EVERING app, designed with a simple, easy-to-understand UI)
—— So for people who feel hesitant about cashless payments or going online, you build trust by staying close to them in ways only offline interaction allows. Many brands today struggle with how to connect their online and offline customer journeys, so tailoring your messaging by channel and user segment felt like a really fresh perspective.
Kawada Thank you. In fact, we don't emphasize a message of "peace of mind" on our e-commerce site. That's an axis we focus on specifically when selling through carrier shops.
For younger generations, we also launched a new, lower-priced line called "NEON BUZZ." We wanted to offer products that lean into fashion and streetwear.
Designing EVERING's Future Beyond Payments
—— Looking ahead, could you tell us about the goals you and EVERING have in mind for the future?
Kawada Expanding on the concept of "Everything × Ring = a ring connected to everything," in both functionality and services, will remain our unchanging strategy going forward.
Beyond serving as a payment channel, EVERING is also being used to lock and unlock house doors, and as part of employee ID systems at some companies.
Another direction is connecting with various fan communities.
Partnering with communities around sports, entertainment, or teams, designing a dedicated version of EVERING, and offering a variety of experiences through those communities. I believe there's still enormous room for all kinds of people to connect through EVERING in all kinds of ways.
(Possibilities beyond a payment device continue to expand)
In an Age of Sharpening the Value That Resonates: Becoming a Brand Unafraid to Stand Out
EVERING has pioneered territory that doesn't fit neatly into conventional frameworks—part payment device, part D2C brand. It has faced head-on the question of what to deliver as a brand, beyond mere functionality and convenience. In an era with no clear right answer, what values should a business confront? What does it mean to hold a niche, sharply defined concept, and how do you build touchpoints with fans? We asked about the perspective needed for brand-building.
—— With the spread of no-code e-commerce carts and platforms, it's become easier for individuals and small teams to launch a brand. In an environment like this, what perspective do you think brands and e-commerce businesses will need going forward?
Kawada I think we're living in an era where all kinds of values and ways of thinking are emerging.
Not just in payments—even when offering a single function, there are many facets to it. If you try to find the optimal answer by aiming for the greatest common denominator, the whole thing inevitably ends up blurry. So I think what suits this era is something that resonates powerfully with a specific group of people, even if it's a small one.
People it doesn't suit might not give it a second glance. But for the people it does resonate with, it resonates deeply. I think brands and services like that should keep increasing from here on, and we're now in an era where that's possible.
Within a platform like Shopify, it's become possible to carve out all kinds of positions—not just for manufacturers, but for services and content too. It's precisely within that kind of diversity that users can choose what really suits them. I think that's a really healthy, fortunate state of affairs.
It doesn't always have to be the mainstream path—if more niche, sharply defined things emerge across all kinds of genres, I think it will make for a really interesting era.
The vision EVERING is drawing lies in a stance that finds value in the experience itself, beyond mere payment functionality. Precisely because it's an unfamiliar product, they deliver it with great care, layering on meticulous attention to comfort of use and journey design. Starting from the question of how to create an experience that fits comfortably into someone's life, they've nurtured the brand while cherishing their connections with partners.
It doesn't have to be the mainstream path. That's exactly what makes it possible to stand out. Looking ahead, EVERING envisions an exciting future—one that goes beyond payments alone, where technology and everyday life connect.
