Unstaffed shops in Hungary: Here is how we can shop in these hybrid stores

As reported by Daily News Hungary before, soon, the first so-called hybrid/unstaffed shops will be launched in Hungary. These stores will be open during the day in the traditional way, meaning there will be staff working in the store, and outside normal opening hours, in an unstaffed mode. Here is what we know so far about these places.

Details of unstaffed shops announced at Laurel conference

According to turizmus.com, details of the technical conditions and how this form of service can be used were announced at the retail conference of Laurel Ltd., the developer of the solution in Hungary, on 15 May.

“In order to use the new type of shops, we will need an application, which we will download and provide our personal data, supported by a photo ID,”

Attila Bessenyei, CEO of Laurel, said at the event.

We will need an app to shop in these stores

Based on this, the app on your smartphone generates a single-use QR code, which you can use to enter the store and shop as usual, simply adding the items you want to your basket, he added.

In the unstaffed mode, payment is made at the self-service checkouts. There, you also have to scan the QR code that identifies you, just as you cannot exit the store without scanning the receipt you have received.

“So everyone who is in an unstaffed shop is identified in advance, but there is also a complex system to ensure security,”

Bessenyei said. For example, the camera images of such unstaffed shops are monitored by an artificial intelligence-based algorithm that detects suspicious, unusual customer movements and immediately alerts the remote surveillance.