The Professionals series showcases talented experts who support PayPay Group’s operations.
This time, we interviewed Oizumi-san of the Sales Strategy Department. We asked about his career change, memorable projects, and what he finds rewarding at work.
Takayoshi Oizumi
Strategy Planning, Sales Strategy Department, Sales Strategy Division
I gained experience in sales, product design, and other lines of work at a bank. When my child was born, I moved to Nagano and there I was engaged in sales management at a manufacturer. I joined PayPay in September 2022, drawn by the flexible work environment that allowed me to pursue the job I wanted.
Pursuing a Dream Job even in the Countryside
Please tell us why you joined PayPay
After graduating from university, I worked at a bank, where I was mainly engaged in personal and corporate sales and product design in the investment banking division. When my child was born, I moved to Nagano with my family. I joined a manufacturer, intending to make it my final career change, and there gained experience in managing sales and leading a projects for about 10 years. But I developed a strong desire to do work where I can leverage my skills. To be honest, I’d almost given up, thinking it would be difficult to find such a company while living in rural Japan. However, with the possibility of a hybrid work, I saw a chance to do the work I was passionate about. Then, when I plucked up the courage and took action, PayPay approached me, which brings me here.
Can you tell us about the roles and mission of your team?
The mission of the Sales Strategy Department is to support the Sales Department in achieving its goals by planning and promoting sales strategies, calculating the profitability of the promotional measures, and analyzing data related to our merchant business. My role in all of that is to build and maintain a platform for calculating KPIs, such as gross merchandise value and payment system fees, and to estimate the gains.
For example, when a new service is launched, I adjust SQL to ensure that our revenue is calculated correctly, or estimate the impact of initiatives that have been requested by the sales team and are under consideration.
Contributing to the Business with Plenty of Data and Tools
Please tell us about a particularly memorable project
Immediately after joining the company, I worked on a project to automate the monthly tally process with Python, which I had learned on my own for five years. Python is easy to learn and has a wide range of applications, so I kept learning, thinking that if I can use it, it would definitely come in handy someday. But I got no chance to make use of it at my previous job, so this was the first time I put my Python skills to test at work.
As the Sales Strategy Department primarily works on data collection, calculation, and analysis, processing them manually is a substantial burden and involves a high risk of making mistakes. That’s why I suggested automating the process with Python.
We used to retrieve the necessary data from BigQuery, calculate using spreadsheets, and make numerous manual adjustments, spending about four hours every month. Automating this reduced the operation time to only three minutes.
At the time, I had little knowledge of my work, but I proposed my idea, thinking I had to contribute in some way despite not knowing anything. Thankfully, my boss and colleagues were excited about my idea and encouraged me to introduce the system.
In addition to this, we adopted Python for many other operations. For example, we used scraping techniques to streamline data collection work and improved the accuracy of gross merchandise value forecasts.
What do you like about this job?
I find it very attractive that I can access a lot of data, and that the entire company actively utilizes various IT services. In PayPay, I can check almost all data, as long as I follow the rules for managing it properly and seek the necessary permissions. I got a kind of culture shock in a good sense because only engineers were allowed to do so at my previous jobs.
Moreover, I found it very rewarding to apply the analysis results in our promotional measures and sales strategies. I can actually see that my analysis is used in our daily operations, not wasted or ending up being just reviews.
What is the team’s vibe like?
I admit, I felt a little bewildered at first, as it was my initial experience with a hybrid workstyle. I learned that it is important to actively present what I want to try in the morning or evening meetings and 1-on-1 sessions. I also keep in mind to be detailed and clear without abbreviations or internal and technical jargon, when talking to new members, so that they can get used to their job with no worry.
The tech company vibe at PayPay is totally different from that of my previous workplaces, but now that I get inspired by younger members every day, I am definitely happier!
Working as One Team by Utilizing Individual Strengths
What would you like to accomplish or try in the future?
Python is one of many solutions and I can only use a fraction of its full potential, so I still need to study a lot more. I would also like to get more people interested in programming and AI, beginning with those around me in my department, so that we can improve the quality and quantity of our work. Nowadays we can learn programming efficiently through generative AI and other means, so I would gladly be an evangelist to that end. Plus, I would like to keep contributing to increasing productivity and achieving goals of sales-related teams.
What do you value in your work at PayPay?
In terms of PayPay 5 Senses, “Believes in our product and team” and “Speed is our bet on the market” are important to me.
I believe that I was able to follow through on this automation task thanks to the help of my colleagues. If I had tried to solve everything on my own, I’m sure it would have taken longer and I still wouldn’t have finished automating.
I asked folks knowledgeable about routine operations or SQL, and utilized my skills for automation. I think the key to this achievement was that we as a team were able to bring our strong suits together.
Lastly, a message for our readers please!
I believe it’s incredibly appealing and a fantastic opportunity to engage in cutting-edge work for a leading company! On the other hand, a hybrid work still demands a high degree of responsibility and professionalism.
I look forward to working with people who live in provincial areas like me, and who might be thinking, “I can find my dream job only in the city.”
Current Job Openings
*Job openings and employee affiliations are current as of the time of the interview.