The big Net play in Japan these days is convenience stores. Name your neighborhood favorite and you can rest assured it has just rolled out some new e-commerce business scheme.
Seven-Eleven Japan and seven other firms are setting up 7dream.com, where multimedia kiosks will deliver the Net along with the milk and potato chips. FamilyMart has teamed up with Circle K, Sunkus, Ministop and Three F, and 10 banks, to put ATMs in their stores.
The rationale behind the moves is straightforward: Japanese consumers don't like to pay online, so they can order on the Net and pay at the stores. Another reason is ease of delivery: Goodies can be sent to the store and picked up whenever convenient for the consumer. The stores are hoping customers will pick up an item or two while paying, or when they pick up the orders.
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