Convenience Stores Enter Drive-Thru Era... CU Partners for Industry-First 'Vehicle Pickup Service'

[Asia Economy Reporter Seungjin Lee] Now, you can use drive-thru services even at convenience stores.

On the 10th, CU announced that it has partnered with the mobile mobility platform 'Owin' to develop the industry's first 'CU Vehicle Pickup Service,' allowing customers to receive convenience store products inside their cars.

Owin is an app that provides vehicle services enabling drivers to handle various tasks such as fuel payment, parking ticket reservation, and food and beverage orders all in one place. In partnership with CU, it will launch the convenience store pickup service.

The newly developed CU Vehicle Pickup Service is a drive-thru method where customers who pre-order products stop their cars in front of the store, and staff deliver the items through the car window. This minimizes face-to-face contact between customers and staff.

Unlike traditional drive-thru orders that involve offline ordering, payment, and pickup processes causing waiting times, the CU Vehicle Pickup Service allows customers to complete ordering and payment via the Owin app before arriving at the store, significantly reducing face-to-face contact and purchase time.

CU has developed a real-time location sharing system between the POS (payment terminal) and customers, providing the store with the customer's estimated arrival time. This reduces the workload of staff while allowing customers to receive their products immediately upon arrival.

CU continuously researches changes in consumer culture due to COVID-19 and reflects these by introducing various convenient purchasing services.

For example, CU's delivery service, first launched in 2019, saw usage increase by more than 80% this year as non-face-to-face consumption became more active due to COVID-19. In response, CU has enhanced customer convenience through 24-hour delivery, expanded delivery partnerships in small and medium-sized cities, and planned delivery-exclusive products.

Additionally, before the implementation of social distancing level 2.5, CU proactively installed droplet protection screens at counters in over 14,000 stores nationwide and conducted daily quarantine campaigns to create a safe shopping environment during the COVID-19 era.

Jonghae Cho, head of BGF Retail's e-commerce team, said, “After system development and testing, the CU Vehicle Pickup Service could be implemented nationwide as early as next month. CU plans to continuously introduce new convenience store services tailored to changes in customers' lifestyles.”

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