Japanese convenience store FamilyMart will be employing a variety of labor-saving technologies along with Panasonic Corp to operate their 24-hour stores. Just like many sectors in Japan, this company is facing the brunt of a rapidly shrinking workforce.

Japan is facing a major labor crunch and for the convenience store industry, it has turned into the worst or tightest labor market in more than four decades. FamilyMart is not the only one facing this shortage in talent. Another global leader of the 24-hour convenience stores, i.e. 7-Eleven have begun to keep their stores open for a shorter duration of time. They intend to reduce the working hours at least 10 out of their 20,700 stores.

“We are faced with a labor shortage and the issue of 24-hour operations. There is no time to waste,” said Takashi Sawada, FamilyMart President, at a press statement to reporters in Kanagawa, Japan.

Along with the help of Panasonic’s technology such as advanced sensors and AI, FamilyMart employees will be able to restock supplies in an efficient manner. Also, digital displays, self check-out systems and digital price tags will reduce the need for human intervention.

Another rival, Lawson Inc. has also partnered with Panasonic to help bring self check-out kiosks into the region. However, customers have shown higher dissatisfaction levels because they’ve been used to high-quality human interactions and better service.

Declining population has led to “market saturation” in the Japanese market, thus making it difficult for players such as FamilyMart to combat their talent challenges in a market where the demand for their products is dwindling.