Recently, unmanned store is attracting attention as a retail store of the new environment that connects online and offline by combining various technologies such as ICT. In particular, Just Walk Out Store, which is based on sensors, artificial intelli...
Recently, unmanned store is attracting attention as a retail store of the new environment that connects online and offline by combining various technologies such as ICT. In particular, Just Walk Out Store, which is based on sensors, artificial intelligence, and deep learning technologies, realizes innovative shopping in which all calculation processes are automated. Since the demand for Just Walk Out Store is continuously increasing, it is expected that many domestic and overseas unmanned stores will evolve into the Just Walk Out type in the future. However, the customer satisfaction for the current Just Walk Out Store is low because the customer's point of view is not considered enough when the service process of the store is designed. Therefore, this study proposes an interactive plan to improve the service process of Just Walk Out Store, focusing on the core attributes of the unmanned store customer experience (openness, accessibility, personalization, immediateness).
First, previous literature related to unmanned store, HCI (Human-Computer Interaction) and HRI (Human-Robot Interaction), and customer experience was reviewed. Next, an in-depth interview was conducted on the detailed items (music, product location, product description, automatic payment) constituting the core attributes of an unmanned store to derive problems and improvement plans. Based on this, four design ideas were materialized and a prototype was produced. The prototype test was conducted with users who had visited the Just Walk Out Store. After the experiment, a post-satisfaction survey was conducted to evaluate the service availability, customer experience, and intention to continue using the service, and the final design was proposed by reflecting the participants' improvements.
To summarize, first, a situation-based store music service was proposed. The participants revealed that the music service optimized to the number of customers helped them feel psychologically stable. The final design was proposed by supplementing the volume control function according to the number of people as an improvement point.
Second, a product location guidance service based on audio and visual information was proposed. The participants in the experiment reported that they could save time through a service that provides audio and visual information through a multi-input system. Improvement points were reflected by reflecting the map system to the final design for efficient identification of movement.
Third, a QR code-based product description service was proposed. The participants were satisfied with the voice guide service using the QR code on the back of the product, which is similar to the product information guide provided by the staff at manned stores. Visual text information was added and reflected in the final design as an improvement point.
Fourth, a gate-linked shopping cart pop-up service was proposed. The participants answered that their store reliability and satisfaction with the automatic payment system were improved through the service that links the gate recognition system with voice feedback and transmits the expected payment amount to the user’s smartphone immediately through a pop-up service. The final design was proposed by supplementing the improvement point to show the product location when the customer withdraws the payment intention.
As a result of the customer satisfaction evaluation, it was found that the situation-based store music service was the most effective in improving the hedonistic customer experience among the four designs. The gate-linked shopping cart pop-up service showed the most effective results in terms of functional customer experience improvement and service availability. The intention to use the store in the future received generally positive evaluation.
The Just Walk Out Store, which is currently attracting attention at home and abroad, remains in its technology-oriented design. Therefore, the needs of actual customers seem to be excluded. Unmanned Store can have a positive effect on customer satisfaction when not only cutting-edge technology but also interaction factors of cognitive information and response, system accessibility, and quick feedback are considered according to the characteristics of each function. The hedonistic customer experience of Unmanned Store requires sensory experience and personalized service. This is an area that needs further subdivided research as research is still insufficient. In addition, for the continuous development of Unmanned Store, which is in the initial stage of growth, it is important to organically link these key elements, and it is necessary to optimize the process design to meet the various expected values of customers, focusing on the interaction elements of HCI. For the advancement of the Unmanned Store, research on design that can respond to the rapidly advancing technologies such as ICT should be continuously conducted.
Previous studies related to unmanned store remain at the level of theoretical considerations that derive factors related to customer experience. On the contrary, this study is meaningful in that it proposed a practical service process design through a qualitative study. In addition, the results of this study are expected to be utilized as basic data for subsequent studies for the activation of unmanned stores.