CJ Olive Young said Wednesday it has introduced an "AI shopping assistant" to improve the shopping experience for foreign customers.
According to Olive Young, the AI shopping assistant is being rolled out first at large, multi-floor stores with a high proportion of foreign customers. The service allows customers to converse in real time with an AI avatar through a kiosk, helping them browse and purchase products directly without staff assistance. From a single device, customers can access product descriptions, inventory checks, and in-store location guidance, as well as product recommendations tailored to their individual skin characteristics and preferences. The service supports eight languages, including Korean, for foreign customers.
The company expects the service will also help improve store operating efficiency. By providing touchscreen guidance on frequently asked topics such as payment methods and value-added tax refunds, staff can focus on more specialized consultations and customer service. In addition, the company will provide a data-based dashboard that offers an at-a-glance view of customer dwell time and major inquiries, enabling store operations that reflect customer demand and characteristics based on the analysis results.
For face-to-face consultations with staff, an "AI interpretation service" using portable translators will be introduced in phases. The service adds AI technology to existing translators, improving the accuracy and convenience of interpretation. The number of supported languages has been expanded to 38. Customers can scan a QR code shown by staff to join a real-time chat, or speak with staff by voice through the microphone of a tablet placed in the store.
"As the number of foreign visitors to Korea increases along with the popularity of K-beauty, we are advancing our AI-based in-store services to improve the shopping convenience of global customers," an Olive Young official said. "Through a shopping environment free of language barriers, we will enable customers around the world to experience K-beauty up close."
