Hungarian retail chain opens Hungary’s first 24/7 unstaffed smart shop!
Change language:
Hungary’s first unstaffed, 24/7 smart shop opened in Szeged by the Hungarian-owned retail chain Coop. The shop is located in Szeged’s downtown, in Szent István Square. Here’s how it works.
Hungarian retail chain opened Hungary’s first 24/7 unstaffed smart shop
According to Telex, the customers must register first. Afterwards, they can enter the shop with an app and QR code to collect what they need and pay for the goods with a credit card with the help of a code. Getting out is permitted only with your QR code or the receipt the shop issues. For now, the shop can only be used by adults.
If somebody needs help, they can call a dispatcher. There is no face-recognition surveillance system but AI-supported cameras, which register suspicious movements. Therefore, nobody can steal anything or forget to pay for something. If that happens, the company can acquire the money from them later.
More customers, extended opening time
Coop expects more customers thanks to the development and the 24/7 opening time without raising salary expenditures. János Kelemen, the CEO of Coop Szeged Ltd, said that they opened the first smart shop in Hungary. He added that the new system cost several tens of millions of forints. Furthermore, they had to spend millions of forints on the shop’s new equipment, allowing customers to buy anything without staff. For example, an AI-supported scale helps with shopping. Operation costs will not be higher despite employing a dispatcher and an intervention team.
Here is a video of the new shop:
More smart shops can open in small settlements
Kelemen said they would like to open new smart shops in the small settlements, where the daily turnover is low. Such shops can be open 24/7 without the need to pay staff. They created the Szeged smart shop based on foreign examples like Scandinavia, Czechia, and Slovakia. The IT background is entirely a Hungarian development, Attila Bessenyei, the CEO of the subcontractor Laurel Ltd, said. That required a HUF 300 million investment, but the company hopes they will be able to participate in operating hundreds of similar smart shops in Hungary. That is a business risk, but many are already interested in their solutions.
