Amazon.com Inc.'s Japanese unit and Life Corp., one of the country's major supermarket chains, said Thursday they will join forces to sell fresh foods online starting later this year, aiming to attract elderly and busy customers.
In Amazon's first tie-up with a Japanese supermarket operator, Life will supply a range of products, including those from its in-house brand, to members of Amazon Japan's Prime Now service, which touts delivery times as fast as two hours for orders.
The service will start in parts of Tokyo later this year, with Amazon Japan handling delivery and processing payments. It hopes to cater to growing demand from the elderly and people who have difficulty getting to physical stores while also targeting busy professionals, especially in dual-income households, who have little time for grocery shopping.