A chain of unmanned 24-hour convenience stores could be headed for Hong Kong, according to the SCMP.
And you know what that means. No more awkward avoidance of eye contact when buying condoms!
The newspaper today published an interview with the head of Chinese company BingoBox, which has opened almost 200 of the staff-less stores on the mainland since launching its first location in Shanghai in June.
BingoBox founder and chief executive Chen Zilin said the company plans to expand internationally and was in talks with local partners in Hong Kong to jointly operate stores in the city.
Chen said the shops— essentially well-stocked, walk-in vending machines with advanced security — would target areas that don’t have convenience stores, such as parks, villages and public housing estates.
The staff-less store concept was pioneered by US online retail giant Amazon, with its Amazon Go store, initially opened for its staff in Seattle. The idea has taken root in China, where, several companies have experimented with the technology.
To enter a BingoBox, customers scan a QR code with their mobile phones. Once placed on the checkout counter, their selected items are automatically scanned, and the final price can be paid via mobile wallets like WeChat Pay or Alipay.
Chen told the SCMP that its mainland operations had processed more than a million transactions and experienced fewer than 10 cases of malicious theft.
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