It is important to ensure that consumers do not feel anxious about using a new home delivery method and that they can truly appreciate its convenience.
Package drop-off services known as "okihai" are gradually spreading. Under this system, home delivery companies do not place packages in the hands of recipients, instead completing their services by leaving these items near an entrance door or elsewhere.
Okihai services have been added to the delivery options of Amazon Japan G.K. and Rakuten Inc., both major internet shopping mall operators, as well as Japan Post Co., which provides Yu-Pack package delivery and other services. The move is aimed at reducing redeliveries to recipients who were away from home when their packages were initially delivered.
Due to the spread of internet shopping, more than 4.2 billion packages were handled through home delivery services in fiscal 2017. The redelivery rate is as high as 18 percent in urban areas, where there are many two-earner households and people living alone. The government has said it will achieve the goal of reducing the rate to about 13 percent nationwide by the end of fiscal 2020.
According to an estimate by the Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry, if the redelivery rate stands at about 20 percent, the extra labor power necessary for delivering packages again is equivalent to about 90,000 drivers annually. Redeliveries incur a large amount of personnel expenses and transportation costs. Improving the efficiency of home package delivery is a pressing task to be tackled.
In October, Amazon will conduct a test aimed at gauging the effectiveness of okihai delivery services in Tajimi, Gifu Prefecture, a city with a population of about 110,000. If consumers want to receive packages face-to-face, the company will comply with their wishes. As a general rule, however, they will be asked to specify where delivered packages should be placed, such as near an entrance door or in a bicycle basket.
Take appropriate steps
Regardless of whether recipients are at home or away, deliverers will put packages in specified places and send photos to them.
Will there be cases in which delivered articles are stolen or damaged? Will the new delivery method provide greater convenience for customers, saving them the trouble of making redelivery requests and waiting for their packages to be delivered? Will the redelivery rate decline? It is important to explore these problems, with a view to spreading the new system.
Strong anxiety persists among the public about possible trouble involved in the new system.
According to a survey by the ministry, more than 60 percent of those polled said they have never used okihai, or that they do not want to use it. Many respondents cited concerns about theft as a reason for their answers.
There are also worries about other people seeing the personal information stated on delivery slips. Yamato Transport Co. and Sagawa Express Co. have decided not to introduce the okihai system, from the standpoint of placing importance on handing over packages to recipients face-to-face.
To dispel concerns held by consumers who use the new system, it is indispensable for home delivery business operators to take appropriate measures to address possible problems.
Amazon has said it will pay compensation, in principle, if packages are stolen. Terms of use regarding the new system vary from company to company. If consumers opt for okihai, they need to confirm how service providers will respond if any problems arise and apply for such services after being satisfied with the conditions of use.
There has been an increase in the number of locations other than homes where people can receive packages, including convenience stores and package lockers installed at train stations.
There are also services that enable people to track the status of deliveries and also to change the delivery destination via smartphones and PCs. It is hoped that the appropriate option will be used for each purpose, depending on the degree of a package's importance and one's lifestyle.
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Sept. 29, 2019)
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