JAPAN’S largest parcel carrier, Yamato Holdings has partnered with UK-based e-commerce solutions provider, Doddle, to create a proprietary nationwide PUDO network.
The deal comes on the back of Doddle’s long-term partnership with Australia Post to power its Collect & Return network, and the growth of Doddle’s business in the USA as an authorised solutions partner to USPS.
The partnership represents one of the first times Yamato – which has a 42% share of the parcel market in Japan – has worked with an international software business to support its transformation plan.
Japan is the world’s fourth biggest e-commerce market and one of the fastest growing e-commerce markets globally, with 75% of the population regular e-commerce users.
Yamato currently ships 1.8bn parcels annually, but with e-commerce demand in the country continuing to grow and with home delivery at 99% share, the need to provide more delivery options to consumers that are flexible, convenient and sustainable has become a strategic priority.
With Doddle’s platform, customers will be able to choose to collect their parcels from some of the 240,000 Yamato partner shop network nationwide, with new partner locations expected to include some of the biggest retailers in Japan.
Yutaka Nagao, president, Yamato said, “Yamato Group has been seeking proactive partnerships with startups in Japan and abroad possessing innovative technologies and business models for transforming logistics and supply chains.
“The collaboration with Doddle, a UK startup, is one of the most important such moves, and we are elated to announce this initiative with the company.
“We believe that utilisation of Doddle’s cutting-edge digital technology in the last-mile business of e-commerce will enable us to offer a completely new collection experience to Japanese customers in the future.
“We will aim to establish an e-commerce ecosystem that provides the best value to all who engage in e-commerce by accelerating digital transformation through further co-operation between the two companies going forward.”
