Recently, we had an opportunity to try out a coin locker in Harajuku station, which uses your mobile phone number as a means of identification. By dialing to the phone number displayed on the screen, the system records your number and locks and unlocks a box of your choice.
The fact that they go key-less seems quite handy for people who constantly have their phones in their hands, the true power of these lockers lie somewhere else. With this locker, you can store a package inside to be passed on to someone who will pick it up later. Their implementation is fairly simple, you simply choose a different menu option from the screen, and type in the recipient's phone number instead of your own.
It is eye-opening to see how a conventional service like coin lockers can bring new values by simply freeing users from a physical key.
But one drawback we saw was the system highly depends on whether user recognizes their mobile phone as an identification tool. We saw two ladies in late 40s who stopped using these lockers and went to ordinary, key-based ones. We asked why, the lady explained "If only they had a fixed line, then I would have used that locker." The comment proved they did not understand why they need to call from their mobile. It was a striking contrast to several teenagers who placed their luggages in a matter of 30 seconds.
By the way, there are several major risks for using this locker. First, you have to remember not to put your phone in a locker (a warning notes were placed all over the locker). Another thing is that you have to be quite confident that your phone won't die. In such cases, they ask you to dial to the help desk. There was a pay phone right behind the locker, perhaps there was some relevance there.
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