State Trading Organisation (STO) has opened the first Smart Store in the Maldives.
Vice President Faisal Naseem inaugurated the STO Smart Store in Hulhumale' Phase 1. The store operates without traditional cashiers or sales personnel, and is the first of its kind in the Maldives. The Grab and Go concept introduced by the store is expected to reduce shopping time and eliminate confusion, while AI cameras track stock and inventory.
Customers can shop at the STO Smart Store using a mobile application and the store has instructions in both Dhivehi and English. Customers can enter the store after scanning the QR code using their phone or by opting to use facial recognition technology. Only registered customers can enter the store and they will be charged for any items they pick up through the application once they leave the store. Those who opted to use facial recognition technology will not have to use their phones while shopping at the store.
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, Managing Director of STO Abdulla Saeed said that opening the Smart Store is a great achievement as there are only a handful of such stores in the region. He said the purpose of opening the Smart Store is to ease the convenience for customers, adding that the technology can be implemented in different ways by various businesses.
The store has many safety features, including AI cameras that can detect customer movements and patterns and the items customers picks up. The shelves are also equipped with weight sensors, allowing the system to know the number of items the customer is taking.
The customer's card information will be saved to the application, and they will receive their receipt within 10 or 15 seconds of leaving with the products. All products in the store will have price displays and customers will be charged if they use a product and leave it back on the shelf. However, they will not be charged if they pick up an item and leave them before leaving the store. Computer vision is 99% accurate but there is a 1% chance of misreading the product and in that case customers will have the opportunity to refund or contact the support through the application.