OSAKA -- Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. announced Monday that it will set up in October a wholly owned subsidiary to market and sell its home electronics goods in Japan via the Internet.
LifeVit.com, will run a Web site listing about 600 items available at its franchise electronics shops, which Matsushita hopes will exceed 7,000 by the launch date.
The site will consist of the main portal site and around 30 regional sites. Each regional site will accept orders from consumers, handle online payments and provide advice to consumers on product repair.
Franchise shops will receive fees for delivery and installment as well as collect payments for products when online payment is not selected, Matsushita said.
Franchise shops will be provided with terminals to access the LifeVit.com site.
Matsushita, which manufactures goods under the National, Technics and Panasonic brands in Japan, said even nonelectronics shops or electronics retailers affiliated with other manufacturers will be allowed to join the venture.