KT Launches Contactless Ordering Service 'Small Order'... Coffee Bay Adopts It

[Asia Economy Reporter Eunmo Koo] KT announced on the 14th that it will launch a non-face-to-face ordering service for small business owners called 'Small Order.'

Small Order is a service that allows non-face-to-face ordering outside the store through the chatbot of Chat Plus, a next-generation text messaging service (Rich Communication Services, RCS). Customers can pre-order and pay for drinks through the Chat Plus chatbot applied to the smartphone messaging application (app) before visiting the store.

Customers save time by not having to wait to purchase drinks, and small business owners can efficiently manage orders and maximize store operation efficiency by avoiding separate face-to-face payment processes.

Small Order allows ordering and payment by selecting Small Order from the chatbot tab in the smartphone messaging app and then choosing the desired store. Initially, only KT subscribers using Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics smartphones can use the service, and it is scheduled to be opened to subscribers of other carriers within the year.

KT signed a memorandum of understanding for Small Order business cooperation with 'Coffee Bay,' a medium-sized cafe franchise with over 600 franchise stores nationwide. Orders through Small Order are available at 34 Coffee Bay stores in Seoul and the metropolitan area, and both parties agreed to cooperate to build a dedicated Small Order solution for Coffee Bay in the future.

KT and Coffee Bay plan to jointly promote ESG campaigns such as reducing paper receipts through the activation of non-face-to-face orders and the use of 'reusable cups,' a recent trend in coffee shops, while jointly discovering subscription-based communication services for coffee franchise products.

To expand the number of stores using Small Order, KT will offer free usage benefits for three months after the service launch to participating stores and plans to operate on a monthly subscription fee basis thereafter. Service registration can be done through the KT customer center.

KT plans to expand the Small Order service to industries beyond cafes, including salads, lunch boxes, and sandwiches, and develop it into a representative non-face-to-face ordering service for small business owners.

Myeong Je-hoon, Executive Director of the Communication Platform Business at KT Enterprise Division, said, "Small Order is a new text messaging service that allows easy non-face-to-face ordering and payment through mobile phone messages," adding, "We will evolve the familiar text messaging used by all mobile phone customers into a marketing platform supporting small business owners and provide more diverse services."