Robot revolutions and dark stores: Rethinking retail in a pandemic

The coronavirus pandemic and the sudden need to separate ourselves from each other has changed how we live, work, spend our free time and even how we eat and drink.

As businesses try to adapt to a world where everybody wants to avoid human contact, robots have quickly risen as a possible solution, offering the same level of service without any of the interaction.

Aside from robots, the sudden push to avoid human contract has led to a huge increase in the popularity of online shopping and retailers are struggling to keep up.

In order to match the demand, companies are rushing to open dark stores, which are spaces that look like shops but only cater to orders for delivery or collection.

BY JEON TAE-GYU [jeon.taegyu@joongang.co.kr]