"Will Real Part-Timers All Lose Their Jobs?"... Robot Sales Assistant Sweeps Up KRW 450 Million in Pots with Finger Hearts

Sales Jump 39% Year-on-Year
Robots Serve as Sales Assistants for 10 Hours a Day

The deployment of 100 humanoid robots to assist sales in a kitchenware store in Shanghai, China, has made headlines after average sales surged by 39% in just three days.

According to local media including the Chinese newspaper The Paper on October 2, from September 28, 100 humanoid robots called 'Aibao' were placed in offline locations of Asda stores selling home appliances and kitchenware. The robots worked as sales assistants for 10 hours a day. During the three-day pilot period, cumulative sales reached approximately 2.23 million yuan (about KRW 450 million), with average sales rising 39% year-over-year.

Chinese company Baidu.

Xiaoqian, an employee working alongside the robots, commented, “Most customers deliberately come to see the robot assistants.”

When a housewife in her fifties mentioned, “My old pot is worn out, so I want to replace it,” the robot immediately replied, “How many people are in your family?” and “Do you mainly cook stir-fries or stews?” The robot then proceeded to explain details related to the product in depth.

The robot adeptly provided information on product discounts, the functions of different pots, and tailored recommendations. When a store chef prepared anchovy and egg stir-fry, the robot promptly answered questions about the recipe and described the non-stick mechanism of titanium pots.

The media reported on the atmosphere, noting, “Humans and robots cooperate, even exchanging jokes.” For example, when a chef joked, “Is my dish this tasty because of the pot, or because I’m good-looking?” the robot praised the pot’s performance, then quipped, “Chef, you are even more amazing.” It also made a heart shape with its fingers and was seen taking photos with customers.

The appearance of 100 humanoid robots assisting sales in a kitchenware store has become a hot topic. Baidu, China.

Lü Suhe, Vice President of Product Line at Zhiyuan, the robot’s developer, explained, “Robots in laboratories or factories perform predetermined tasks in controlled environments, but in stores, where both customers and products are constantly changing, the difficulty of testing is much higher.”

He emphasized that the key to commercialization lies in how well robots can understand the complex needs of customers. Vice President Lü stated, “Currently, Aibao’s capabilities are on par with a newly hired sales assistant. We will continue to implement customized training so that the robot assistants can master each store’s unique product knowledge, service processes, and communication styles, raising their level of proficiency.”

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