Cheetah Mobile Deploys 8,000 Shopping Mall Robots to Enhance Offline Retail Experience
Cheetah Mobile has deployed 8,000 AiM Robots in 962 shopping malls across China, enhancing the offline retail experience with AI-driven services.
Cheetah Mobile isn’t just playing around in the internet and AI space—they’re leading the charge, and their latest move proves it. They’ve rolled out 8,000 AiM Robots across 962 shopping malls in 33 Chinese cities. These aren’t your average bots; they’re transforming how physical stores connect with customers, especially crucial now with COVID-19 shaking up retail. From interactive ads to acting as info desks, they’re giving sales a serious boost.
What’s under the hood? Imagine a robot that’s got AI smarts, can chat with you (thanks to voice tech), recognize faces like a pro, navigate indoors without breaking a sweat, and sports a 27-inch touch screen. These AiM Robots do it all—help shoppers snag discounts, discover new products, or just find their way around. They’re like the ultimate mall concierge, offering personalized brand and coupon recommendations, plus handy services like parking help.
Take Shenzhen’s Yifang Shopping Center, for example. Here, the robots have been a game-changer, bumping up daily orders at food and beverage spots by an average of 2.5. And those restaurant coupons they dish out? Gone in 30 minutes flat. Snacks and drinks coupons aren’t far behind in popularity. It’s all about keeping the regulars coming back and pulling in new faces with a mix of personalized chats and fun games.
As malls in China swing their doors back open, retailers are grappling with the new normal—think contactless everything. Cheetah Mobile’s AiM Robots are stepping up, offering a slick way to drive sales and get brands noticed, all while keeping human interaction to a minimum. But that’s not all. These bots are also data powerhouses, tracking everything from mask-wearing stats to which brands are hot in different cities, giving malls and merchants insights they can actually use.
Wuhan’s story is particularly telling. Post-lockdown, mall foot traffic skyrocketed by 418% in just a week. The AiM Robots were on the front lines, pinpointing exactly what Wuhan shoppers were craving after being cooped up—top of the list? Good eats, bubble tea, and some fresh threads.
Fast forward to July 2020, and these robots are seeing a whopping 62.4 million customers daily, with each interaction lasting about 70 seconds. They’ve been embraced by over 1,800 organizations and are making waves in more than 20 scenarios, from keeping epidemics in check to revolutionizing retail and public transport. Not bad for a day’s work, huh?