As the number of new COVID-19 confirmed cases exceeds 1,000 for a week and the 4th pandemic is in full swing, the distribution and restaurant industry is racing to make stores unmanned by introducing ‘retail tech’.
‘Retailech’ is a term that combines retail and technology, and refers to the application of cutting-edge ICT technologies such as robotics, AI, cloud, and IoT to the distribution industry.
By introducing retail technology, the distribution and restaurant industry is minimizing the risk of induced contact, reducing labor costs, and reducing worker fatigue, while providing customers with a more convenient and unique experience by utilizing new technology to innovate offline stores in response to the spread of COVID-19. The strategy is to
■ Beatbox equipped with an unmanned robot cafe, “Implementation of a 100% autonomous retail platform with cutting-edge IT technology”
Beat Box, which Danal’s food tech company Bit Corporation first introduced in April this year, is a food tech-based retail autonomous operation platform equipped with the third-generation unmanned robot cafe ‘Beat 3X (b;eat 3X)’.
Beatbox is equipped with its own technology platform that encompasses various technologies such as AI, DI, RPA, and IoT, enabling near-perfect unmanned and autonomous store operation without the need for permanent manpower. It is because of this point of differentiation that the number of inquiries related to opening a store is rapidly increasing and the company is expecting to open its 100th store within the year.
In particular, for the first time in the food tech industry, LiDAR technology, which is used as the core of autonomous vehicle and robot technology, is applied to the entire store, enabling stable store management such as heat maps, customer count, and homeless detection. In addition, through AI’s deep learning process, it is possible to identify inventory, predict demand, and automatically place orders, so there is almost no need for human touch.
■ GS25, “If you order convenience store products, a robot will deliver them.”
GS25 announced that it will expand its non-face-to-face robot delivery service, in which products ordered via smartphone are directly delivered by a robot equipped with artificial intelligence, at the GS25 store located in GS Tower in Yeoksam-dong.
The robot delivery service is a method in which when a customer orders a GS25 product through KakaoTalk ordering, the robot starts delivery through autonomous driving, wirelessly calls an elevator, boards it, and moves to the destination. GS25 plans to expand its indoor robot delivery service to GS25 stores in high-rise office buildings, hospitals, and officetels this year.
■ Our Home, “Enjoy a convenient meal with smart unmanned lunch box service”
Our Home is actively expanding the presence of its smart unmanned lunch box service ‘Hello-Eat Box’. ‘Hello It Box’ is an unmanned platform that sells fresh food, beverages, and snacks, including refrigerated and frozen lunch boxes. Convenience is also increased by equipping the installation area with simple cooking utensils such as a microwave oven.
Helloit Box can handle about 50 to 100 lunch boxes per unit, allowing an unmanned restaurant to be operated even in conditions where the installation space is limited or the introduction of firearms equipment is difficult. Our Home plans to expand the introduction to 10% of target stores by this year.
■ Domino’s Pizza, “Try hot pizza with drones and driving robots”
Domino’s Pizza piloted a unique delivery service using drones and self-driving robots based on ‘DOMINO SPOT’, which connects nearby stores and pickup locations through GIS (Geographic Information System).
If you designate a ‘drone-only Domino spot’ through the mobile app and place an order, Domino’s Pizza’s delivery drone ‘Domi Air’ automatically recognizes the destination information and delivers the pizza. In addition, the self-driving delivery robot ‘Domi Run’ moves autonomously directly to the pizza pickup location, and customers can receive the food when they authenticate receipt through the app. Delivery services using drones and autonomous robots are scheduled to resume in the future after a supplementary process.