Shinsegae, SK to make shopping a bit smarter

SK Telecom and SK Broadband signed a memorandum of understanding with Shinsegae I&C to work together to create a smarter shopping experience, SK announced in a statement Tuesday.

Based on the collaboration, the three parties plan to make shopping more convenient by offering smart services like virtual shopping at Shinsegae’s retail subsidiaries using the 5G network and information and communications technology (ICT).

Shinsegae I&C is the group’s information technology business that offers ICT services to Shinsegae subsidiaries like department stores, its discount mart chain Emart and shopping mall complexes like Starfield.

SK Telecom says it will contribute in creating diverse business models in the fields of retail and distribution through its 5G network and ICT technologies. SK’s technological capabilities, along with Shinsegae’s expertise in retail and IT services, will result in an innovative transformation to the way people shop, raising the overall convenience of the shopping experience, according to SK.

Thanks to the partnership, visitors will soon be able to use large amounts of data from anywhere within the store thanks to innovative technologies that limit network congestion by allowing the company to divide up its network.

Virtual shopping will also become possible. Customers will be able to virtually look around a shop without having to physically visit the store. Offline shoppers can get information about products through augmented reality by scanning the product on the screen of their mobile device.

Intelligent video analytics will suggest what customers should buy based on their past shopping records, and automatic payment systems will also become an option.

The three parties are reviewing the adoption of a cloud PC - developed by SK Broadband using SK Telecom’s cloud management technologies - in the retail industry. The service will offer a personalized computing environment to online shoppers, regardless of their location, by providing a virtual central processing unit, memory and disk embedded on a centralized cloud server.

“The latest strategic alliance is very meaningful in that it’s a 5G-based collaboration between ICT and retail corporations,” said a spokesperson for SK Telecom.

A spokesperson for Shinsegae I&C said, “We will present an innovative service that is beyond imagination in online and offline spaces through collaboration between leaders of the retail and telecommunications industries.”

BY JIN MIN-JI [jin.minji@joongang.co.kr]