Home Plus, the Korean division of Tesco, converted Hangangjin Station in Seoul into a virtual supermarket recently as part of a trial in shopping through smartphones. Posters of fully stocked supermarket shelves were pasted onto platform walls; commuters were invited to shop by scanning the QR codes on the posters with their smartphones. Shopping was then delivered to the homes of the shoppers.
The test project will now been extended to other Seoul subways. If the new trials prove as successful as Hangangjin Station, the format could be rolled out across the country over the next two years. “The concept made sense,” said Irene Lam of Cheil Worldwide marketing agency. “The trial boosted Home Plus online sales 130 per cent and online members 76 per cent.”
Experts believe that the concept will be trailed in Europe in the near future. (4 Aug)
© 2011 - ESM: European Supermarket Magazine