Singaporean retailers step up AI application

Three leading Singaporean home-grown retailers on August 16 showcased their unmanned stores that allow shoppers to enter stores and buy items without having to interact with a salesperson. 
A guest at an unmanned booth by Pick & Go at 2019 Singapore Retail Industry Conference and Exhibition. (Source: The Straits Times/NG SOR LUAN)
A guest at an unmanned booth by Pick & Go at 2019 Singapore Retail Industry Conference and Exhibition. (Source: The Straits Times/NG SOR LUAN)

At the Singapore Retail Industry Conference and Exhibition, the companies – Pick & Go, Octobox and OMO Store – introduced the format that uses technology, such as radio-frequency identification (RFID), cashless payments and artificial intelligence (AI).

At an unmanned store, customers scan their palms to get inside. When they have chosen their items, they go into a check-out room which automatically detects the RFID tags on their purchases. To pay, customers scan their palms again so that they can use their DBS PayLah wallet, keying in the last four digits of their mobile number for authentication.

OMO Store will open its first store at NUS' School of Computing in September, while a store by Pick & Go will open at the Singapore University of Technology and Design in October.

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