E-commerce giant Amazon Japan has announced it will launch a locker delivery service called Amazon Hub at the major convenience store chain FamilyMart and train stations along the Odakyu line.

These pick-up kiosks will not only enable customers to conveniently pick up parcels on their own accord, but also ease the strain of severe labor shortages and piling workload on logistic drivers caused by redelivery.

The lockers can only be opened by customers after they receive a barcode from Amazon to their email address. Store clerks are neither authorized nor able to open the "Amazon Hub" without this designated barcode.

Amazon Japan said it plans to install the lockers in about 200 locations within this year, including FamilyMart stores operating in Tokyo and Kanagawa Prefecture. It said it hopes the new service will reduce the burden on delivery companies caused by the staggering growth of online shopping and the customer-centric approach to redelivering packages.

© Japan Today