CJ Olive Young Introduces 'AI Shopping Assistant' to Help Foreign Customers Shop Independently

Supporting Store Operations with Data-Driven Shopping Dashboards

Introduction of 'AI Interpretation Service'

On July 8, CJ Olive Young announced that it will introduce artificial intelligence (AI)-based in-store services to enhance the shopping convenience of foreign customers.

Olive Young is initially operating the 'AI Shopping Assistant' primarily in its multi-level stores, which have a high proportion of foreign visitors and strong demand for shopping information. Through a kiosk, customers can converse with an AI avatar in real time and enjoy self-service shopping without needing assistance from store staff. With just one device, customers can access product information, check inventory, locate products within the store, and receive personalized product recommendations based on their skin type or preferences—all available in eight languages. This allows customers to explore products without language barriers.

Image of the 'AI Shopping Assistant (Kiosk)' introduced in Olive Young stores. Olive Young

Beyond enhancing the customer experience, the service also improves store efficiency. Simple or frequently asked information, such as payment methods and VAT refunds, can be checked directly via the touchscreen, allowing staff to focus more on professional consultations and customer service. Additionally, the system provides a data-driven dashboard that displays metrics such as customer dwell time and key questions at a glance, enabling store operations to be adjusted according to customer demand and characteristics based on analytical results.

While the AI Shopping Assistant supports self-service shopping, the 'AI Interpretation Service' assists with one-on-one consultations with staff. This service upgrades the portable translator introduced in 2024 by adding AI technology, further enhancing the accuracy and convenience of interpretation. It is being rolled out sequentially, starting with stores that have a high proportion of foreign customers. The number of supported languages has also expanded to 38, making it accessible to an even broader range of international shoppers.

Customers can join real-time chats by scanning a QR code presented by staff or use the microphone on tablets available in the store to have voice conversations with employees. Notably, the system is trained on data specialized for the K-beauty shopping environment, enabling it to accurately convey relevant technical terms. This allows customers to describe their skin concerns in their native language and receive detailed guidance from staff about ingredients and usage instructions.

An Olive Young representative stated, "With the growing popularity of K-beauty and the increasing number of international visitors to Korea, we will continue to advance our AI-based in-store services and expand them nationwide to further enhance the shopping convenience of global customers." The representative added, "We aim to establish ourselves as a global K-beauty hub where customers from around the world can experience K-beauty up close, providing a shopping environment free from language barriers."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.