Shinsegae I&C said on Aug. 11 it is expanding its AI vision-based retail solutions to convenience stores by introducing an AI vision-based payment management solution for self-checkout counters at CU convenience stores operated by BGF Retail.

Shinsegae I&C's payment management solution is a lightweight model tailored for convenience store environments. It is based on Spharos ScanCare, which uses AI vision to analyse the flow of customer actions at self-checkout counters and guide usage.

The company said the AI recognises unpaid situations in real time, such as when a customer picks up goods or leaves the counter after scanning a product barcode without completing payment. It then displays a message on the checkout screen saying payment has not been completed, supporting customers to proceed with normal payment.

Technically, it uses a structure in which processing is handled inside a camera with a built-in VPU (Video Processing Unit) specialised in video analysis. It does not require installing an additional mini PC or an external server.

Shinsegae I&C and BGF Retail are conducting a pilot test of the payment management solution at a CU store near Gangnam. They plan to expand adoption to additional stores from September. They aim to secure insights needed to improve store operations by analysing customer movement paths, dwell time and queues, and focus on reducing sales losses caused by missed payments.

Seung-hyun Yoo (유승현), head of the AX Center at Shinsegae I&C, said the payment management solution is a lightweight model optimised for operating convenience store self-checkouts based on AI capabilities specialised for offline retail sites. He said it is also meaningful as a collaboration that increases on-site usability by combining the two companies' technological capabilities and operating experience. He said the partnership will be used to expand AI use cases across overall convenience store operations, such as inventory management and shelf display inspections, and the companies will continue to strengthen cooperation so convenience stores can evolve into more efficient AI stores.