The extraordinary diffusion of the Internet has transformed IT into a fundamental and enriching component of people´s lives.     It is no exaggeration to say that the fate of the TA-Q-BIN industry will be determined by how well it responds to the expansion of e-commerce spurred by the proliferation of the Internet.     While responding to the challenges of e-commerce, Yamato will improve upon its IT-based services in the fields of B2C and B2B as well as C2C.

B2C

TA-Q-BIN Collect Service Yamato´s Collect Service provides superior support for the mail-order businesses of companies. A wide array of services is provided, such as collection from the customer and payment to the mail order company, as well as standard product dispatch and delivery. A handling fee will be charged after the fifth day of the arranged delivery period regardless of whether money for the item has been collected. Monthly fee payments are also possible. Kuroneko Tankentai The Kuroneko Tankentai is a virtual mall equipped with a unique search engine used to find the home pages for registered shops. Users can search on the page for stores marketing such goods as regional specialty items, then obtaining the item through the Company´s delivery service. Despite free registration, companies can raise profits through a variety of services that include delivery, settlement and home page creation. Kuroneko@payment Credit Card Service Launched in August 2001, Kuroneko@Payment Credit Card Service is a credit card account settlement service for mail order and related areas that is compatible with nine different credit cards. The service comprises a credit card account settlement system that uses a prior payment method in which payment is made by credit card when the item is shipped and the bill is charged forward. Since the service provides data on the status of the shipment, both buyers and senders can track their shipment throughout the delivery process.

Logistics Services Logistics Services provides features that aid in reducing the lead-time of delivered goods while enabling cost reduction through such means as minimizing inventory. To provide optimized logistic services, the business combines a logistics center that performs everything from item reception to temporary handling, delivery and distribution processing, such diverse delivery modes as TA-Q-BIN and air delivery, and accumulated infor-mation technology (IT) to meet the clients´ needs. TA-Q-BIN Paackage-Tracking Service on the Internet Customers who have access to the Internet can reserve to pick up packages and collect undelivered packages through this service all year round, 24 hours a day. Packages are delivered to and shipped from the desig-nated office after the sender and recipient make arrangements with the Company on the ideal date and time for the transaction. After registering a first time, users need only provide their registered phone number and password to access the service.

C2C

TA-Q-BIN Escrow Service This service enables instant payment for items following an Internet transaction and shipment from seller to buyer. The service is also remarkably user-friendly, enabling buyers to send items back and receive a refund. The service can be used free, with no registration or annual fees required.

B2B

Net de Hanjo Net de Hanjo is a comprehensive tool run by Yamato Logistics Produce Co., Ltd. (YLP) in Minato-ku, Tokyo, that provides necessary functions for starting a business over the Internet, from marketing Web construction (Web-Shop) to logistics management (including man-agement and transport of inventory and issuance of invoices) and settlement management. Net de Hanjo lives by the motto, ÉÅYou can begin Internet marketing with only a single computer and “80,000 per month.”