The smart locker is gaining more and more acceptance, but few people are very clear about its business model. At present, there are two main foreign business models. One is a European and American model, served primarily by express carriers. There have been some third-party companies, like InPost, but not all of them have a very clear profit model, and are used as a service tool like the ATM. The second is a Japanese and Korean model, paid primarily by property developers; homeowners pay 5 cents per square, about 5 RMB per month per household. In principle, those who benefit are those who pay.
The four beneficiaries
With the emergence of smart smart locker, there are four beneficiaries, namely e-commerce companies, courier companies, real estate companies and individual consumers. Smart lockers help e-commerce companies sell more products, express service companies save more time, real estate companies save more labor, and individual consumers have more free time. But the possibility of co-financing of the above four companies is small, so there are 4 kinds of smart locker business models in China.
The former is invested by e-commerce companies, such as JD, Amazon, JustEasy, Suzhou Fresh Market, etc. The second is the express company, mainly China Post, SF. The third is the third-party operating company, mainly Spoter, FUbox, Manybo. The fourth is a property management company. The first three types can be divided into European and American models; the fourth can be divided into the Japanese and South Korean model.
Who benefits?
The European and US profit model is relatively diverse and complex. The Japanese and Korean model is simple and direct. It is difficult to say which model will ultimately win in China, whether it will be the European and American model or the Japanese and South Korean model. Consumers ultimately pay the bill. Whether express companies or real estate companies can join in or not, we currently cannot see clearly in the smart locker market. If the third-party company can benefit, the express company and the real estate company will benefit more easily.
The history of smart locker in Japan is nearly 30 years, during which both express company and third-party company tried, but ultimately did not survive, because smart locker needs good operation and maintenance service. In Japan, it is completely up to the developer to buy the smart locker and the owners to pay more property charges to cover the operation and maintenance costs. In China, it is difficult to say that we have this sense of service, but it is unreasonable that the courier company does not fully pay any fees as the beneficiary.