Interaction-free shopping is already here. How will it impact both workers and customers?

To keep it simple, it’s Amazon Go only way better—even though it was apparently designed in collaboration with the company. Dreamed up by Hyundai IT&E, the Hyundai Department Store group (unaffiliated with the car brand) is the mastermind behind this silver coloured, 355 square foot peachy dream. With the store’s exteriors wrapped in neon winding bands reminiscent of straps commonly used for theatres during the 1960s. Inside, neon bands line the tiered shelving and illuminate the shop in a soft light, making its lack of humans somehow less noticeable.

The Uncommon Store is definitely uncommon in its design, with “a cloud system and internet hyper connections (ICT) AI complex sensors, and machine learning techniques,” as stated by Superfuture. Aesthetically, it has the same traits as a “cosmetics outlet at a department-store or an airport,” The Cool Hunter noted. The company wanted the store to appeal to young Koreans who are more than used to digital shopping experiences. Going for a retro futurism look, the local architecture firm behind the design, Atelier Archi@Mosphere, told Archello that it was supposed to capture “the essence of technological innovations and their integration with space.” Glossy laminated surfaces cover the patterned ceiling and contrast with industrialised materials such as metal, acrylic, giving a futuristic flair to the retro establishment.

It seems like Korea is beginning to rival its neighbouring country Japan—housing the second largest retail market in the world, according to Forbes—for its status as a leading shopping destination. The Uncommon Store perfectly targets millennial and gen Z shoppers, two demographics believed to be the cause for the frantic reformation of consumer behaviour and retail tactics to capitalise on them in recent years. Shoppers can buy all their usual produce as well as soft drinks and snacks, provided for by trendy local convenience chain Nice Weather.

Before entering, shoppers are required to install an app by scanning a QR code indicated on a board next to the entrance. After registration and login, payments are automatically processed, so that no cash or bank card is required. But the push for more sleek, streamlined stores is troubling when you actually think about it. While it is fascinating to see how great these stores can function, there’s a tiny dotted fine print most of us seem to overlook when agreeing to this type of future—saying goodbye to human workers. Though reducing “overhead from paying employees” as Input have suggested, will obviously get a thumbs up from money-hungry conglomerates like Amazon, should all big businesses on the high street do the same?

Grocery shopping is going ghost, as is retail, and outlets like TechHQ have stated it is actually a natural part of living within a post-pandemic world. On the surface, it seems to be a natural move towards a better and brighter future—with commissioned studies like one carried out by Forrester Research and Digimarc showing that the experience at the checkout is essential to shoppers. With the average shopper privy to a range of tech options that make shopping easier, and with Apple Pay and contactless now being the norm, the feeling of the time wasted waiting represents an important drawback on someone’s weekly shop.

Like our online habits, courtesy of overconsumption culture, consumers seek quick and convenient experiences when shopping in real life too. Net Solutions reported that the world of retail and consumer shopping is a landmine of anger for a lot of people. An Omnico US Retail Research report also looked at the “shopping pain points” of 2,008 consumers across the US and their attitudes towards technology—almost 74 per cent of respondents said technology will make it easier to shop. The customer is always right, and they seem to be bang on the money too, as 86 per cent of people want to use scan and checkout apps for cell phones or tablets to skip lines and save time. Last but not least, as if you needed more convincing still, 82 per cent of respondents were willing to use kiosks to make in-store payments faster and easier.

In the meantime, TikTok has allowed the rest of us to step into the future, with thousands of videos celebrating some of the innovations snazzy stores in both Japan and Korea have to offer. But among the starry-eyed praise, the prospect of ‘robot operated stores coming near you’ doesn’t seem to be questioned for the reasons you’d think.

Creator @rachelheheh posted a video captioned “Social interaction? No thank u 😘🙏.” On TikTok, Rachel documents what it’s like inside a Korean convenience store with no workers. The most popular comment on the video—with over 100,000 likes—said, “Try this in America. The whole store empty in 2 hrs.” Surprisingly, the lack of people to interact with wasn’t a concern for commenters. In her video, Rachel also lists the pros of shops like this, stating that there is “less physical contact 😷” and that it saves time and money to shop at such futuristic options. And yet, not only are these stores alienating consumers who aren’t so tech-savvy, but also the workers whose livelihoods depend on them.

Another video posted by @snfad_diela also gives the rest of us an inside glimpse of Korean cashierless shopping, with no comments voicing concerns over this soon-to-come dystopian nightmare. It seems as if many are swept away by the soft serve ice cream dessert shops and blinded by the glamorous aesthetic of these stores. The sad reality is, in an effort to cut costs and hike up profits, the era of cashiered tills will simultaneously cease to exist. Get ready to chat up your local Tesco’s workers pronto, because they won’t be there forever.