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After Face Pay, Toss Turns to Restaurant Reviews… Files Trademark for 'Spotlist'

[비즈한국] Toss (operated by Viva Republica) is drawing attention for preparing an offline store review service. Toss recently filed a trademark related to a restaurant review and ranking service. The backdrop to Toss preparing offline services appears to be the expansion of its simple payment business. Toss has launched its facial recognition payment service, 'Face Pay,' and has expressed its intention to expand it nationwide. As Toss rapidly establishes itself in the simple payment market by distributing payment terminals through its subsidiary, attention is focused on whether it will accelerate the acquisition of affiliated merchants through this new service.

On February 9, Toss filed three trademarks under the name 'spotlist.' The product classifications are classes 09, 38, and 42, and the designated products include: △downloadable software for providing review information △application software for managing consumer reactions and reviews △software design and development for online social networking services △online electronic bulletin board services and chat room provision services △electronic bulletin board services for location-based SNS, etc.

Regarding Spotlist, Toss stated, "We are considering a service where the main features are offline-based restaurant rankings and reviews," adding, "The specific scope of the service has not been determined. It was filed in advance for the purpose of preempting the trademark."

The reason Toss, which has been developing its business centered on a mobile financial platform, is preparing offline services appears to be the expansion of its simple payment business. In 2025, Toss began strengthening its offline payment business by launching 'Face Pay,' a facial recognition simple payment service. While Shinhan Financial Group and Naver were among the first to enter the facial recognition payment market, they struggled to establish themselves due to difficulties in terminal installation and expansion.

However, Toss is rapidly securing a position in the payment market by distributing its own payment terminals, 'Toss Front,' and POS devices through its subsidiary Toss Place, which was established in March 2022. Toss Place is a company that provides devices such as POS apps, payment terminals, and kiosks, as well as customer management solutions; the number of merchants with their payment terminals installed exceeded 210,000 as of September 2025.

Following the official launch of the facial recognition simple payment service in September 2025, Toss held a press conference to demonstrate its commitment to nationwide expansion. The goal is to apply Face Pay to daily life by collaborating with various brands such as convenience stores, cafes, restaurants, movie theaters, fashion, beauty, and home appliances. To promote the spread of Face Pay, Toss is also increasing the types of terminals available from Toss Place, such as 'Toss Front View' and 'Toss Front Cam.'

In fact, as the number of merchants using Toss Place's payment terminals increases, the activation of Face Pay is also gaining speed. Users who pre-register their facial information and payment methods in the Toss app can use facial payments at offline stores; as the number of Toss Place terminal merchants grows rapidly, the number of consumers using Face Pay is also increasing. It is known that the number of Face Pay subscribers recently exceeded 2 million.

At the press conference, Toss also explained its plan to link online and offline payment services through 'Apps-in-Toss.' This involves implementing online stores within the Toss app, with Toss explaining, "Users can search for stores, make reservations, and check benefits via Apps-in-Toss, pay in one second with Face Pay at the location, and follow up with automatic points accumulation, coupon issuance, and re-visit reservations after payment." Oh Gyu-in, Vice President of Toss, who oversees the simple payment business, said, "We will organically combine Toss Place, which supplies terminals, Apps-in-Toss, which provides store-specific services, and Face Pay to seamlessly connect the user's offline payment experience."

Attention is focused on whether the offline restaurant review and ranking service will also be launched in the form of Apps-in-Toss. If Spotlist is launched, it is highly likely to secure data quickly, as the cumulative number of Toss app subscribers exceeds 30 million. Since it is possible to provide information on Toss Place terminal merchants, it can also be utilized for merchant promotion and new contracts. However, according to Toss, it has not been decided whether the service will be implemented within the app.

The offline simple payment business is also a new source of revenue for Toss. It allows for revenue diversification at a time when it is difficult to secure new users through the platform alone. In particular, the facial recognition payment service can generate revenue both online and offline by connecting simple payments, authentication services (facial information), and payment terminal sales.

Toss's revenue structure is divided into the consumer segment, which includes remittance, brokerage, advertising, simple payments, commerce, and securities, and merchant services, which include payment gateway (PG) and payment terminal sales. As of the third quarter of 2025, consumer services account for 65.2% (1.255 trillion KRW) and merchant services account for 34.8% (669.8 billion KRW) of Toss's total revenue.