Viewership Soars 7x in One Month... Renowned Hyundai Home Shopping's 'AI Experiment' [Report]

Industry's First AI Technology and 3D Avatar Adoption
Crisis Awareness: Must Generate Own Viewership
Viewership 7x and Revenue 2x Increase in One Month Since Launch
"Will Strive to Advance AI Technology Further"

"I'm curious to see how it would look matched with pants."

On the morning of the 4th at 9 a.m., when a viewer comment like this appeared in the chat room of the live broadcast 'Seo Arang's Shopping Live,' the phrase 'AI Styling' flashed next to host Seo Arang. Then, as host Seo shouted to the camera, "3, 2, 1, click!" a virtual image of Seo wearing the wool cashmere jacket sold that day paired with denim pants appeared on the broadcast screen. In the viewer comment section, responses like "It looks casually good even when worn with pants" appeared. A Hyundai Home Shopping official said, "Previously, viewers could try on up to five outfits, but after introducing AI technology, we can provide up to 20 outfit shots," adding, "Many viewers say it helps them make purchases by seeing various matching looks."

Hyundai Home Shopping 'Seo Arang's Shopping Live' broadcast capture screen [Photo by Hyundai Home Shopping]

On August 30th, Hyundai Home Shopping introduced AI technology to Seo Arang's Shopping Live, launching an industry-first new concept broadcast program that attracted attention. During the broadcast, when viewers make requests such as "I want to see how it looks matched with a red skirt," host Seo shows styling looks in real time based on AI technology. A 3D avatar named 'Rang-i,' developed to closely resemble the host in appearance, body shape, and voice, also appears. Rang-i appears on the right side of the screen when the product changes, when there are important points about the product, or when important requests appear in the viewer comment section, serving to draw viewers' attention and generate interest.

Despite considerable costs, Hyundai Home Shopping decided to experiment with AI due to a sense of crisis over worsening business conditions such as declining TV viewership and an aging audience. In the past, home shopping channels relied only on 'zapping' (the phenomenon where the viewership of channels in the middle increases as viewers flip channels), but now they face a situation where they must generate ratings directly through their own content rather than passively waiting for incoming customers. Hyundai Home Shopping judged that AI technology is necessary for long-term content development, established an 'AI Task Force (TF)' earlier this year, and made bold company-wide investments including hiring specialized personnel. One month into the experiment, the response has been positive. Since the launch on August 30th, sales have more than doubled, average viewership ratings have increased more than sevenfold, and viewers in their 40s have been drawn in, significantly lowering the average viewer age.

Hyundai Home Shopping 'Seo Arang's Shopping Live' Filming Site
[Photo by Hyundai Home Shopping]

Hyundai Home Shopping judges that AI technology has sufficient appeal to viewers and plans to continue AI research and development by further enhancing its own technology operation capabilities and expanding AI technology adoption programs. In the short term, the goal is to increase the similarity between Rang-i and host Seo, and in the long term, to develop additional AI avatars suited not only for fashion but also for various products such as health foods and travel. A Hyundai Home Shopping official said, "We are continuously considering AI technology and broadcast production methods that meet the diverse needs and tastes of viewers," adding, "Through AI technology, we will strive to provide information that helps viewers make purchase decisions more easily and further offer the enjoyment of watching the broadcast as a piece of content."