Two of Japan's major convenience store chains have introduced their own cashless payment services, as competition in the field has been heating up.

Seven-Eleven Japan and Familymart launched their own smartphone payment systems on Monday.

Seven-Eleven customers can pay using an app at stores nationwide. They can also deposit money at the stores and settle payments through credit cards.

The company hopes the system will help it gather customer purchase data, as it looks to distribute coupons and develop new products.

"The service will bring more convenience to customers, while reducing cashier work at short-handed franchise stores," Fumihiko Nagamatsu, President of Seven-Eleven Japan, said.

Familymart has launched a campaign as it tries to attract customers for the service. The company says it will refund up to 15 percent of the money users deposit for the first month, with an upper limit of about 28 dollars.