President Chain Store Corp (PCSC, 統一超商), the largest convenience store chain in the nation, yesterday opened its second unstaffed store in Taipei, as it eyes the tremendous profit potential of such services.
The X-Store in Xinyi District (信義) operates around the clock in a bid to cash in on the large crowds of white-collar workers and students in the area, Project Management Department chief Hsu Yi-hsiung (許義雄) said.
Customers can enter the store with a facial-recognition card or an iCash 2.0 card, Hsu said, adding that they can pay after verifying their identity at an unstaffed counter.
Photo: CNA
An intelligent automatic teller machine using finger and facial-recognition technologies offers multi-language services, and allows customers to deposit small change and withdraw foreign currencies, he said.
The retailer on Jan. 29 opened its first X-Store on the ground floor of its headquarters in the district on a trial basis. It was originally only open to employees, but became available to the public on June 25.
The number of customers at the first X-Store has increased 50 percent in six months, Hsu said.
At first, men accounted for 60 percent of the customers, but the ratio has evened, indicating that women have also taken to the new consumption model, Hsu added.
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