Convenience store chain E-Mart 24 opened a fully automated shop this month in the South Korean capital Seoul.

Working with Shinsegae I&C, the government’s Ministry of Science & ICT and the Korea Internet & Security Agency (Kisa), E-Mart 24 hopes this will set the national technical standard for a complete smart store.

The E-Mart 24 Smart Coex Store in Starfield is a complete smart store. When someone leaves the store with a product after shopping, payment is automatically made through retail technology such as AI vision, weight sensors and cloud PoS using self-service store technology from Korean firm Shinsegae I&C.

The store is part of a complete smart store security improvement support project from the Ministry of Science & ICT and Kisa.

As such, the store will test various security issues that can occur in a fully smart store built with technology that increases consumer convenience so the technology can be applied to convenience stores and various industries in the future.

Anyone can use the store, which uses artificial intelligence (AI), computer vision, sensor fusion, voice recognition and cloud PoS, along with automatic payment technology. Customers can enter by using their credit card through the kiosk at the front of the store to receive authentication and access QR codes.

Using lidar technology developed by Shinsegae I&C, security is strengthened with non-identifying data. Up to four people can enter together with one QR code. Six lidar cameras, as used for autonomous driving, improve payment accuracy because they can identify consumers with 3D data.

In addition, an AI voice chatbot provides various information services such as product location, promotions and related products.

E-Mart 24 and Shinsegae I&C will later adopt a system to identify abnormal shopping behaviour. It also plans to strengthen the physical and informational security expected in the process of consumers using a complete smart store, such as the establishment of a remote store management system using IoT technology.

Emart 24 Gimpo DC was introduced as the first automatic payment store in Korea in 2019. This smart Coex store was introduced by applying Shinsegae I&C’s in-house technology.

Kim Jang-wook, CEO of E-Mart 24, said: “E-Mart 24 and Shinsegae I&C have joined hands with the Ministry of Science & ICT and the Korea Internet & Security Agency to introduce a standard store that will serve as a basis for leading smart technology in the domestic industry. We plan to continue creating new innovations that franchisees and customers have never experienced before by building more advanced stores in the future.”