LG Electronics (066570.KS) is accelerating its global business-to-business (B2B) expansion by supplying digital kiosks to food and beverage outlets in Japan.
LG Electronics announced Monday that it has formed a partnership with USEN, a Japan-based Internet of Things (IoT) store solutions company. USEN holds the top market share in point-of-sale (POS) systems for food and beverage establishments in Japan.
The two companies plan to accelerate digital transformation at Japanese food and beverage outlets by combining LG Electronics kiosks with USEN's ordering solutions optimized for the local market. They also plan to expand collaboration to include digital signage and other products.
In Japan, demand for kiosks that allow customers to order and pay by card themselves is growing rapidly due to a shrinking labor force caused by low birth rates and an aging population, as well as an increase in foreign tourists. As a result, demand to replace button-operated ticket machines commonly used in restaurants and retail stores with kiosks is expected to grow steadily. LG Electronics has been conducting pilot operations since October at cafes and restaurants in Tokyo, as well as at a restaurant near Toshogu Shrine, a famous tourist destination in Nikko near Tokyo. According to market research firm Circana Japan, there were approximately 1 million food and beverage establishments in Japan as of the end of last year.
LG Electronics' 27-inch kiosk features a refined design with excellent touch sensitivity and response speed. The company's proprietary surface treatment technology ensures high visibility in any lighting environment. The kiosk also supports a wide range of sales information management systems and dedicated kiosk software tailored to store operations. With USEN's POS solution applied, the kiosk offers an intuitive user interface (UI) and user experience (UX), with language options including Korean, English, and Chinese in addition to Japanese. It also provides various layout designs, artificial intelligence (AI)-powered menu recommendations, and order data analytics.
"Through LG Electronics digital kiosks differentiated by design and technology, we will expand our influence in the global kiosk market including Japan," said Min Dong-sun, head of LG Electronics' Information Display business unit.
