TOKYO -- Japanese bank Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group's credit card unit has begun a service that analyzes purchase histories to give retail stores a better view of consumer spending trends.

With cashless transactions on the rise in Japan, more data is available for retailers to grasp consumer behavior.

Unlike existing analysis services that provide rawer forms of data, the information from SMFG's card unit will be organized by cardholder gender, age, address and income.

Transaction data and personal information are compiled into an anonymous set. The company starts providing such information to retailers and restaurants Friday under the name Custella.

Sumitomo Mitsui Card -- part of SMFG, one of Japan's biggest banking groups -- has issued a total of about 44 million cards.

The company will provide data analysis to small and midsize retailers for as little as 50,000 yen ($460) a month, helping them target particular demographics.

Separately, SMFG plans to work with Visa to develop a new transaction system and plans to use such data to stoke consumer spending at participating retailers.