English

Companies selling goods over the internet are trying to deliver items to shoppers as quickly as possible.

English

However, as there are not enough people to do the work of transporting the goods, they are experimenting with delivering items later.

English

On LOHACO, a website that sells daily necessities, shoppers can set the delivery date of their items to between three to seven days after the date of purchase.

English

Those who set a later delivery date are given loyalty points.

Explanation

The katakana word 「ポイント（pointo）」 comes from the English word “point.” Traditionally, it was used to refer to the marks or numbers used to keep score in a game or sport, or to describe the “point” of a story or argument. These days it’s often used to refer to “loyalty points” that supermarkets and other retailers offer customers in exchange for shopping with them. This particular usage of 「ポイント」 in Japanese has become so common that there’s no native Japanese equivalent. The more you shop at a certain store, the more 「ポイント」 you receive, which you can later redeem for discounts or free products. Businesses issue customers a「ポイントカード（pointo-kaado）」, that is, a “loyalty card.” Other related expressions include 「ポイントを貯める（pointo o tameru）」, which means “save or accumulate points,” 「ポイントで買い物をする（pointo de kaimono o suru）」, “use your points to shop,” and 「ポイントで払う（pointo de harau）」, “pay with points.”

English

With this approach, the service aims to prevent the concentration of deliveries that need to be made at the same time.

Explanation

「やり方（yarikata）」 refers to the “way of doing” something. So for instance, 「正しいやり方（tadashii yarikata）」 means “the correct way” or “the right approach.” Conversely, 「間違ったやり方（machigatta yarikata）」 means “the incorrect way” or “the wrong approach.”

English

They have been conducting this experiment on certain days since August. About half of their customers have chosen later delivery dates.