A smart convenience store -- which uses behavioral visual recognition technology -- was officially launched at Baotou Airport in North China’s Inner Mongolia on Jan 3, marking the first of its kind in the autonomous region, according to a report in the Baotou Daily.

The convenience store offers an expanded product selection including food, beverages and Baotou specialties.

First-time users need to scan the QR code pasted on the store window to register and enter an applet. In order to make a payment, it is necessary to enable the payment function without a password for the applet, as explained by staff members at the airport.

They added that first-time customers have to scan the QR code on the store window to enter the store and then select products in the store. They can enter the store using face recognition the second time.

Customers can leave the store directly at the exit after selecting products, without making payments for the products. The payments will be automatically processed by the applet and payment information will be received via a text message after the customer’s exit from the store.

Currently, there are three types of technologies that unmanned convenience stores can employ to identify products purchased by customers which are a barcode, radio frequency identification devices, or RFIDs and computer vision technology.

Bar code technology requires users to scan the barcode on the goods at the checkout counter or on a mobile phone. RFID technology requires the RFID tag to be attached to each product. Computer vision technology is mainly used in products such as visual checkout counters and smart freezers.

The smart unmanned convenience store at Baotou Airport uses the latest technologies including artificial intelligence and gravity sensing.

At present, the technologies have been applied in many domestic and overseas stores such as Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport, in South Korea and in Japan.

A customer enters a smart convenience store located at Baotou Airport, on Jan 17. [Photo/Baotou Daily]