‘Unmanned store’ startups emerge as one-person entrepreneurship increases

As ‘N-jobbers’, in which people with jobs take on side jobs, have become a trend, and the number of unmanned stores that can be started with low capital has expanded, many startups have started supporting unmanned stores.

Unmanned stores are visited by customers on a regular basis without any permanent employees. In order to encourage customer visits, consistent store management is essential even in the absence of a store manager. Unmanned store support startups are making extensive use of cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) to build a digital system that allows store owners to manage their stores more conveniently.

A representative example is ‘Brownie’, an unmanned store total care solution developed by startup ‘HireX’. Geek workers (short-term workers) who manage unmanned stores can contact the store owner using the Brownie app and receive a checklist of things to do. After completing the task, take a photo appropriate for each task and upload it to Brownie, so the store owner can check it.

Currently, HireX provides management services for most unmanned stores, including ice cream discount stores, self-service laundromats, study cafes, unmanned vending machines, unmanned convenience stores, and unmanned stationery stores. Over the past three years, more than 40,000 services have been provided, and the reuse rate has exceeded 95%.

Kwon Min-jae, CEO of HireX, explained, “We provide an opportunity for everyone, from full-time housewives to office workers, to generate additional income,” adding, “We simplify the start-up process and support efficient management of business.”

There are recent statistics showing that the unmanned store market is difficult, but industry estimates are that the number is continuing to expand. The industry is also expanding to include billiard halls and electronic cigarettes.

CEO Kwon added, “Unmanned stores in the retail sector are progressing rapidly,” adding, “We will continue to develop services that unmanned store owners can trust with peace of mind.”

Startup Wipolaris manages unmanned stores based on AI technology. ‘Cat’s Up Takeout’, operated by Wi Polaris, is a ‘convenience food’ store with technology that applies vision AI technology to CCTV. From the time a customer enters the store until the time they leave, CCTV tracks all movements and determines what products are being purchased. Even if the customer does not scan the barcode, payment is automatically completed after exiting the store.

Cat’s Up provides a dashboard that visualizes important indicators such as sales status, number of visitors, and popular products, helping store owners who run unmanned stores easily check the current store situation. In addition, the entire process from product receipt to display, sale, and disposal is tracked to quickly identify insufficient inventory and easily check product expiration dates and sales trends.

Seungyeon Kim, CEO of WiPolaris, said, “Our technology helps increase sales by increasing customer convenience and encouraging repeat visits based on a convenient payment process.” He also added, “We also have an integrated management system to quickly identify risk factors and enable remote operation. “We are supporting it,” he said.