Over 1,000 Users in the First 3-Day Weekend of Implementation
Lotte Department Store announced on the 22nd that it will introduce the first-ever 'AI Interpretation Service' in the domestic distribution industry at its Jamsil branch. In particular, during the first weekend of the service launch, the number of foreign customers exceeded 1,000, drawing significant attention.
Since the 19th, Lotte Department Store has started the 'AI Interpretation Service' at two information desks located on the 1st floor of AvenueL Jamsil and the B1 floor of Lotte World Mall. The AI Interpretation Service is based on SKT's AI-based interpretation solution 'Transtalker' and provides real-time interpretation and guidance in a total of 13 languages including English, Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese, Spanish, German, and Thai. To achieve this, the latest digital technologies such as Speech-to-Text (STT), Natural Language Processing Unit (NPU), translation engines, and Large Language Models (LLM) have been extensively applied.
The reason Lotte Department Store first introduced the AI Interpretation Service at the Jamsil branch is because Jamsil has emerged as a global shopping destination attracting many foreigners. Last year, foreign sales at the Jamsil branch increased by about 100% compared to 2022, and sales from January to March this year also recorded a growth rate of over 50% compared to the same period last year.
Additionally, the six information desks at Jamsil receive about 700 foreign customer inquiries daily, with questions varying widely depending on the customer, including store locations, service facilities, product inquiries, observatory, aquarium, and more. Furthermore, the nationalities of foreign visitors have diversified compared to before COVID-19, leading to the introduction of Korea's first AI-based interpretation service to provide shopping convenience and a consistent customer experience for these visitors.
When a foreign customer asks a question in their language in front of the LED transparent display installed at the information desk, the sentence translated into Korean is displayed on the information desk's screen. After confirming this, when the information desk staff responds in Korean, the content is instantly converted back into the questioner's language in real-time and transmitted to the monitor.
Lotte Department Store plans to expand the AI Interpretation Service based on usage evaluation. In addition to installing more units at the Jamsil branch information desks, it is also considering operating the service at the main store and other locations with a high proportion of foreign customers.
Kim Sang-woo, head of Lotte Department Store Jamsil branch, said, "As Jamsil has established itself as a global shopping destination for foreign customers, the introduction of this AI Interpretation Service is very meaningful," adding, "We will continue to make the Jamsil branch the first shopping destination for foreign customers through various digital innovations including AI."
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