Beyond just delivering products useful in improving health, the Yakult Group also provides information related to health and nutrition to customers. We also partner with local governments in activities that protect the safety and security of communities.
At a time when society is truly realizing the value of being healthy, we’re working to provide products that contribute to health while conducting activities that provide safety and security.
Amid Covid-19 pandemic, we always discuss with customers before visiting them and find what the most appropriate method of delivery is, and we adhere to their requests whenever possible. In order to ensure customers safety and be as mindful of workers’ health as possible, we created infection prevention guidelines that include temperature checks before work, disinfection of hands and delivery materials, use of face masks, and use of disinfection spray whenever necessary.
The situations in regions outside of Japan depend on the area, but we follow all legal regulations and have created infection prevention guidelines for some countries and regions. When making deliveries, all workers follow basic procedures including wearing masks, disinfecting hands, and maintaining sufficient distance.
In Japan, cool box delivery can be selected via our online ordering systems Yakult Delivery Net and Family Delivery Net, enabling customers to receive products or send them to loved ones who live apart without any direct contact with Yakult Ladies.
On Yakult Base, our website for those who enjoy Yakult products, we offer online contents with information on the intestinal environment and lactic acid bacteria, as well as provide seasonal health information. We also share content on our dairy products, beauty and other topics through our official Twitter account and the health magazine #YomuYakult, to provide customers with useful and entertaining information for healthy lifestyles while they stay at home.
It’s essential for us to follow guidelines about temperature checks, face masks, regular hand disinfection, avoiding conversation and completing deliveries as quickly as possible. For customers who are reluctant to have direct contact, we also recommend switching to cool box delivery.
Although contact should be avoided because of COVID-19, checking on the safety of elderly people living alone is a vital activity that can mean the difference between life and death. We’re continuing our visits throughout Japan while doing whatever we can to prevent infection.
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Yakult Ladies have been visiting elderly people living alone as they make their deliveries to confirm that they are safe and to spend some time chatting with them.
When delivering products and visiting customers, we always wear face masks and maintain a distance of at least one meter. We also recommend that our customers use digital payments and avoid cash as much as possible.
For customers in offices and other buildings with strict security, we contact them beforehand via messaging and social media app WeChat and discuss delivery methods to avoid unnecessary contact.
We donated Yakult to government departments and medical institutions that administer PCR tests and vaccines throughout the night. While doing so, we told medical and government workers about how probiotics work, to share the value of our products with people in the community. We also donated 232,000 bottles of Yakult to government agencies and medical institutions handling COVID-19 patients.
Our customers have said they appreciate that we’re still delivering products each week throughout the pandemic. They say their trust in Yakult Ladies has grown up because we wear masks, face shields and gloves, and always use alcohol disinfectant. One Yakult Lady who received payment for products in cash noticed the money was wet, and the customer said they disinfected it to keep her safe. So it appears that we’re also helping raise customers’ awareness of preventing infection.
At Yakult Mexico, with the help of the army, we provided 4,793,000 bottles of products at a total of 341 locations, including to medical institutions, nursing homes, orphanages and disadvantaged families. At Guadalajara Plant, we also provided 877,000 bottles to 15 hospitals. We received thank-you messages via cards and social media from hospitals, nursing homes and other institutions.
Some of our customers feel uncomfortable shopping in crowded places. They say it’s been a great relief to have a Yakult Lady they’re familiar with—and who takes thorough precautions against infection—to deliver Yakult products at a scheduled time and date.
Shoppers have been hesitant to visit supermarkets, which has affected sales. In these circumstances, Yakult sales promotion staff strive to explain Yakult products to customers to promote understanding of how they can contribute to health, while taking thorough precautions and limiting their activities to a short time.
