First AI Interpretation Service Introduced by a Convenience Store
Utilizing PDAs in Stores
"Aiming to Enhance Convenience for Foreign Customers"
CU, a convenience store operated by BGF Retail, announced on the 3rd that it has introduced an artificial intelligence (AI) interpretation service for the first time in the convenience store industry and has begun pilot operations mainly at directly managed stores.
CU, a convenience store operated by BGF Retail, has introduced the industry's first artificial intelligence (AI) interpretation service and is conducting a pilot operation mainly at directly managed stores. (Photo by BGF Retail)
Since the 24th of last month, CU has been conducting a pilot operation of the portable device (PDA) AI interpretation service at five directly managed stores with a high proportion of foreign visitors, including Myeongdong, Hongdae, and Incheon Airport. This service can interpret a total of 38 languages, including not only English, Japanese, and Chinese but also Czech, Hindi, and Swahili.
CU’s AI interpretation service utilizes the PDA already used in stores, allowing it to be used anywhere within the store. Employees use the PDA, and foreign customers use their own smartphones to communicate. Customers scan the QR code generated on the PDA with their smartphones, press the microphone button, and speak; the content is then translated into text in the chat window.
If an English-speaking customer says "Please put it in a plastic bag." into their smartphone, the employee’s PDA chat window displays 'Binilbongji-e neoh-eojuseyo' (Please put it in a plastic bag). Conversely, if the employee says "I sangpum-eun 1+1-imnida" (This product is 1+1) into the PDA, the chat window shows the phrase 'Buy one, get one free.'
Through this AI interpretation service, CU expects to enhance customer convenience by providing accurate responses to various foreign customers visiting Korea and significantly contribute to increased sales.
CU plans to initially introduce the service mainly at directly managed stores frequently visited by foreign customers and gradually expand it. The year-on-year growth rate of CU’s overseas payment transactions recorded 151.9% in 2023 and 177.1% in 2024, increasing more than 2.5 times for two consecutive years. The number of purchases using CU’s foreigner-only prepaid card service increased by 329.7% compared to the same period last year. The total sales amount of products using CU’s Tax Refund service increased more than fourfold compared to the same period last year.
Oh Hyun-jin, head of the Store Systems Team at BGF Retail, said, "CU’s AI interpretation service is another example showcasing the excellence of K-convenience stores domestically and internationally," adding, "It will not only improve convenience for foreign customers but also greatly help store operations and increase sales."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
