In brief: Lawson, the Japanese convenience store chain, has come up with a novel approach to address the country’s chronic labor shortage: hiring remote workers from overseas. At first glance, this might not seem like a groundbreaking idea, but the twist lies in how these employees contribute. Despite being based abroad, they can virtually assist in stores by operating lifelike avatar clerks.

Interactions through the new system function similarly to a video call for customers, except they interact with cartoon avatars rather than seeing the actual clerk. The remote operator’s movements are replicated using cameras, allowing for a more dynamic experience. While this approach might feel a bit impersonal, the avatar system could help ensure these essential stores remain operational and accessible around the clock.

A survey by Nikkei revealed that last year, an astounding 62.5 percent of franchise owners struggled to find enough part-time staff to keep their stores open 24/7. Lawson’s innovative solution aims to address this challenge head-on.

The company launched its first overseas cashier this month, operated by a Japanese national living in Sweden. Leveraging the eight-hour time difference, this remote worker can virtually “man” the graveyard shift in Japan while working during regular business hours in Sweden. Their avatar is projected onto screens at Lawson locations in Tokyo and Osaka, assisting customers with self-checkout as needed.

Lawson President Sadanobu Takemasu has announced plans to expand the remote avatar workforce to other time zones, including regions like Brazil and New York. The goal is to boost productivity by tapping into underutilized labor pools in areas with significant time differences from Japan.

The avatar technology, developed by Tokyo-based startup Avita, was introduced in collaboration with Lawson in 2022. By late 2024, the system had been implemented at 28 stores across major Japanese cities, with approximately 70 employees trained to operate the virtual clerks. Early results have been encouraging – Lawson projects the avatars will save over 90 minutes of staffing time per store per day on average.

Notably, this marks the first instance of Lawson hiring a remote worker based overseas.

Lawson’s move highlights a broader issue: Japan’s deepening labor crisis. With a declining population, the shortage of part-time and low-wage workers has become a serious problem. Despite innovations like avatar clerks, 37.5 percent of store operators still foresee staffing challenges in the fiscal year ending in March.

Image credit: Keiichiro Sato