More Japanese C-Stores Offering Pick-Up Services

Three big chains have partnered with a dozen online sites for convenient pick-ups, with plans to expand this year.

July 23, 2015

TOKYO – A growing number of convenience stores throughout Japan are offering a service that allows online shoppers to pick up their purchases at the stores whenever they choose. The service, which appeals to those who are frequently away from home and those who prefer not to accept deliveries in person, allows customers to shop online whenever they like and pick-up their items at a local store whenever they like.

By offering the service, major Japanese convenience chains like Seven-Eleven Japan, FamilyMart and Lawson have successfully attracted customers who tend to frequently be away from home. The service also appeals to a uniquely Japanese demographic: women who are uncomfortable speaking with deliverymen at their front door.

Currently, about a dozen online shopping sites, including Amazon and Rakuten Books, offer pick-up services with the three major convenience store chains. Once items are ordered on these sites for in-store pickup, they are addressed to a convenience store selected by the customer and then delivered by courier. The delivered items are handed over after the customer gets a receipt for them from an in-store terminal and presents it.

Convenience stores that offer pick-up services differ depending on the shopping site. Just about any convenience store will offer in-store pickup if they are among one of the chains that includes the service, which means customers can choose a store that is close to home or on their way to work. Many online shopping sites offer convenience store pickup free of charge, although some do charge a fee.

Major convenience store chains began to offer full-fledged in-store pick-up services with unaffiliated online shopping sites about seven or eight years ago. In 2007, FamilyMart became the first to offer the service when it began taking book orders for Rakuten Books, which was followed by Lawson taking orders for Amazon in 2008. Lawson plans to have its stores take orders for as many as five new companies this year, while FamilyMart is also expanding its in-store pick-up services.

The benefits of in-store pick-up services are not limited to the customers who use them — both convenience stores and couriers also benefit. By expanding their in-store pick-up services, convenience stores can expect to see an increase in their customer base, while couriers are able to increase distribution efficiency by focusing on delivering to convenience store locations.

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