JAPAN. WAmazing Inc, a Japanese online shopping platform for foreign tourists, has installed tax free vending machines at major airports and transport hubs in the country where customers can pick up items they have pre-ordered online.
According to a report in Japan Times, the company started setting up its locker-like machines in October at Haneda Airport Terminal 3 Station in Tokyo; Kansai Airport Station in Osaka Prefecture; Central Japan International Airport Station near Nagoya; New Chitose Airport in Hokkaido; and Nishitetsu Tenjin Expressway Bus Terminal in Fukuoka Prefecture.
By next month, the company plans to install two more machines at Narita Airport Station and Airport Terminal 2 Station, both directly connected to Narita Airport buildings. It also aims to place more machines at all airports serving international arrivals.
These automated retail machines are designed to rid travellers of the usual process of filling in duty free (tax free -Ed) documents, queueing up at stores to claim refunds, or carrying around purchases during stays.
Foreign travellers only need to place the orders three days in advance. Pick-up at the outlets takes less than three minutes. Customers simply scan a QR code, undergo identification verification through facial recognition and passport data, and pay for their purchase.
WAmazing offers 6,900 items to foreign travellers, including popular sweets and snacks, Japanese cosmetics, baby food and baby formula, shampoos, conditioners and detergents. It also offers free SIM cards to visitors.
The website is available in Chinese and English and features products that are mainly popular among young female visitors from Mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan.
Japan Times reported that the service aims to attract travellers from Mainland China despite the Japanese government’s recent decision to impose visa restrictions on Chinese citizens, citing COVID-19 concerns. ✈
