Video: Virtual Grocery Lets Koreans Browse Grocery Aisles While Waiting for the Subway

By Clay Dillow Posted 07.05.2011 at 11:00 am 6 Comments

Subway: Eat Fresh Tesco

Shopping on the go just got easier in South Korea. A new virtual store developed by Euro grocery giant Tesco for its line of South Korean Home Plus supermarkets lets customers browse store shelves for the products they want just as if they were in a physical store. But they’re not. They’re on a subway platform.

The virtual store has been a huge success among the 10,000 or so customers who have taken advantage of the service, which allows busy workaday South Koreans engaged in their daily commutes to optimize their time by shopping while they wait for the train. Tesco has simply plastered the walls of a subway station with visual recreations of grocery aisles. Each item has a QR code emblazoned on it. Snap that code with the Home Plus smartphone app, and it goes straight into the virtual shopping cart.

Customers can then check out via their smartphones as they step onto their morning trains. The groceries are delivered to their homes that evening at a specified time, saving office drones the added hassle of braving a crowded supermarket during the late-day rush.

This is not the first online grocery shopping scheme by a longshot, but it’s the first we’ve heard of that combines a virtual in-store experience with an online checkout and delivery system while also making the most out of those wasted morning minutes spent on the train platform. That’s good for both user and grocer alike. Users get the added value of a more efficient workday and an easier-to-acquire dinner. And just imagine the targeted advertising opportunities.

[Technology Review]

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6 Comments

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mr_molecule

07/05/11 at 11:50 am

Great idea!

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antaro

from London, ON

07/05/11 at 12:41 pm

If I remember correctly, there a place in Cal. that does online grocery shopping.

It might be fine for packaged and processed food but I wouldn't use this type of service for fresh produce.

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B.V.

07/05/11 at 2:20 pm

@antaro,

There are several places that do Community Supported Agriculture type of fresh-produce deliveries. Obviously they don't ship them across the country, but they deliver you a box of fruits and vegetables, eggs, and even dairy fresh off the local farm/dairy.

These items do not perish immediately, so there is no problem with having them sit an bit on your front porch. Also, since these guys deliver the items at a specific time, it's even less likely that they sit around unrefrigerated long enough to spoil.

Remember... even "fresh produce" has to be delivered to the supermarket somehow... why not just have it delivered right to your door instead?

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Greg_NJ

07/05/11 at 9:26 pm

Waste of time. If you have a smartphone just order it directly from the smartphone app while you're sitting on the train.

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nataree

07/05/11 at 10:53 pm

greg, it's not a waste of time. the point is to save time by shopping while waiting for the train instead of standing there aimlessly. and i'm sure it's a lot more convenient to actually see what you're ordering on a larger screen rather than on a tiny phone.

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JediMindset

07/06/11 at 3:11 pm

if this becomes a standard around the world, than people wont be able to steal from the stores!! unless they hack it someway. depending solely on you "smart"phone isn't necessarily wise.

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