E-comgiant Alibaba's logistics platform Cainiao Network recently announced it will begin offering improved pickup services to online shoppers with the help of facial recognition technology. 

All Cainiao mail lockers have already been equipped with facial recognition technology. 

The self-service mail lockers are operated by Hive Box, a smart mail locker company funded by SF Express. They introduced facial recognition technology-based delivery services in the middle of last year and have begun applying the technology to their pick-up service in some pilot areas. 

The technology is already playing a role in people’s daily lives as it is used at hotel counters, at high-speed railway stations, during mobile banking transfers, on Alipay, and in the unlocking of mobile phones and computers. 

Mail lockers are an important part of the "last kilometer" during express deliveries. People have long been accustomed to their temporary storage services, and they are becoming increasingly prevalent.  

Statistics show that Hive Box's self-service lockers store more than 10 million parcels every day, serving 1.5 million delivery workers and more than 200 million mail recipients. 

According to marketing personnel at Hive Box, facial recognition technology became an important part of their lockers at the end of last year. 

The company said it has optimized the application of the technology in its lockers. The technology was originally launched in Shenzhen's Futian district. 

To use the facial recognition method, people need to connect a scan of their face with their mobile before opening a locker. However, traditional QR code and password pick-up is still available. 

Zhao Deshan, a senior engineer with Cainiao, said there has not been a single error in the facial recognition technology after being used more than one million times. 

The facial recognition technology used by Cainiao lockers was developed by the Alibaba Turing Lab. Wang Yan, a senior algorithm expert at the lab, said they developed a facial recognition technology suitable for outdoor environments, and spent more than six months improving its accuracy. 

An employee at Hive Box said they have integrated cutting-edge technologies to ensure safety and allow users to cancel the facial recognition function or update facial information to improve accuracy. 

They said Hive Box would develop more technology to increase public approval of mail services that employ facial recognition technology.