Seongdong-gu Hanyang University Front Shopping District Transforms into Smart Shopping Mall... How?

Ministry of SMEs and Startups Selected for the '2020 Smart Pilot Shopping District' Contest... Total Support of 290 Million KRW for Installing Smart Order Systems and Digital Signage Displays

[Asia Economy Reporter Jong-il Park] Seongdong-gu (Mayor Jeong Won-oh) ‘Hanyang University Front Shopping District’ was selected on the 17th for the ‘2020 Smart Pilot Shopping District’ contest hosted by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, and is set to transform into a smart commercial area.

The ‘Smart Pilot Shopping District’ is a support project for the digitalization of small business owners to respond to the rapidly changing non-face-to-face and digital consumption and distribution environment due to COVID-19. It aims to revitalize shopping districts by introducing smart systems that incorporate 4th Industrial Revolution technologies such as VR (Virtual Reality), AR (Augmented Reality), and IoT (Internet of Things).

‘Hanyang University Front Shopping District’ will receive up to 296 million KRW to cover the costs of introducing smart technologies, and systems incorporating various latest digital technologies will be installed.

First, by the end of this year, a ‘Smart Order System’ will be introduced. The Smart Order System establishes a non-face-to-face reservation, ordering, and payment system, and the Hanyang University shopping district will implement a simple ordering service system using QR codes.

Additionally, a system enabling non-face-to-face product delivery will be built simultaneously.

A district official stated, “The ‘Smart Order System’ can reduce in-store travel distance and labor costs, enable safe non-face-to-face ordering, and solve issues such as order waiting times and order errors, so customer satisfaction is expected to increase.”

Furthermore, a ‘Digital Signage Electronic Information Board’ that comprehensively guides store locations, products handled, and local attractions will be installed throughout the shopping district. This system will be operated and managed by small business owners within the district, allowing them to freely change menus and designs. Customized advertisements and information tailored to the times and places where customers gather for each store will encourage more customers to visit the shopping district.

Jeong Won-oh, Mayor of Seongdong-gu, said, “While listening to the voices of small business owners struggling due to COVID-19 on site, I realized that focusing on post-COVID and responding to the 4th Industrial Revolution era is more important than anything else. Therefore, we plan to continue active support for the successful establishment of digital New Deal policies for the local commercial district, including smartification of the local commercial area and support for small business owners’ online businesses.”