SKT Untact Distribution Innovation... 24-Hour Unmanned Store, Privacy-Clean Store Establishment

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Seulgina Jo] SK Telecom is launching a premium O2O (Online to Offline) service on its official online mall T Direct Shop in response to the untact (contactless) era, and is initiating changes in its distribution model by establishing 24-hour unmanned stores and privacy-clean stores.

On the 19th, SK Telecom announced that it will promote 'Three Major Distribution Innovations' centered on these initiatives in the second half of the year. First, SK Telecom will newly introduce the premium O2O service 'Baro Dochak' on its official online mall T Direct Shop. When customers order a mobile phone from T Direct Shop, artificial intelligence (AI) matches them with the nearest nearby store, where an employee immediately visits the customer to provide a concierge service.

SK Telecom will pilot this service in Seoul and the metropolitan area starting on the 24th, and plans to expand it to 72 cities nationwide by September. It is the first in the industry to implement a 'nationwide coverage' service where employees directly visit customers immediately after an order is placed. Customers can experience services equivalent to those at offline stores, including phone delivery, activation, initial setup, data transfer, as well as used phone appraisal, sales, and same-day compensation.

Additionally, SK Telecom will establish 'Privacy Clean Stores' that thoroughly protect customer information within stores based on ICT technology. To this end, it will distribute 'Privacy Protection AI Kiosks (Safe Transaction Kiosks)' that delete stored data on customers' previously used phones to an unrecoverable level, starting with 900 stores at the end of July and expanding to 2,500 stores nationwide by September.

These kiosks use the 'Random Number Method' certified by the Korea Information and Communication Promotion Association as forensic-proof, which deletes information stored on phones by overwriting existing data with unpredictable random numbers, making recovery impossible, and provide certification issuance services for this process.

Equipped with the used phone trading solution 'MINTIT' operated by SK Networks, the kiosks simultaneously handle data deletion and device sales. Through real-time appraisal using AI and cameras, the value of the used phone is assessed on the spot, and once the sale is confirmed, the payment is immediately transferred to the customer's account.

A 24-hour unmanned store will also open in the Hongdae area of Seoul in September. From entry (self check-in) to smartphone comparison, AI-based plan consultation, subscription application, and phone pickup, all tasks necessary for activation can be handled independently. The operating hours are 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Yu Sang-young, Head of SK Telecom’s MNO Business, said, "Untact has now become an essential part of our lives, and we have prepared three major distribution innovations to meet social demands." He added, "We will lead the mobile communication distribution trend through various efforts."

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