Robot-tended Chinese convenience chain Bianlifeng finds limitations of automation

Quick Summary:

Founded on the premise that humans are inefficient, the chain has closed 1,300 stores in three years and needs to adjust its model to survive in a competitive market, experts say.

In that span, the company fell from 11th to 25th on the China Chain Store Management Association’s list of the top 100 convenience stores.

While the robot has no name, it does have the power to boss around the one or two humans on duty, and their pay depends on following its orders.“Our unstaffed shop means that there are no people in the entire business decision-making process,” co-founder Zhuang Chenchao said in 2019.“We believe that every node that is manned leads to a decrease in overall efficiency.

---

More Pictures

---

Read Quick SummarySave Time

or

Article Details

Author / Journalist: Mark Gong

Category: Business

Markets: Hong KongChina

Topics: Cities Management Stores Robot Human China Store Bianlifeng Model Beijing Convenience

Source Website Secure: Yes (HTTPS)

News Sentiment: Neutral

Fact Checked: Legitimate

Article Type: News Report

Published On: 2024-08-05 @ 06:30:11 (5 hours ago)

News Timezone: GMT +8:00

News Source URL: scmp.com

Language: English

Article Length: 958 words

Reading Time: 6 minutes read

Sentences: 32 lines

Sentence Length: 30 words per sentence (average)

Platforms: Desktop Web, Mobile Web, iOS App, Android App

Copyright Owner: © SCMP

News ID: 21922260

View Article Analysis

About SCMP

Main Topics: Business

Official Website: scmp.com

Update Frequency: 7 posts per day

Year Established: 1903

Headquarters: Hong Kong

News Last Updated: 1 hours ago

Coverage Areas: Hong Kong

Ownership: Independent Company

Publication Timezone: GMT +8:00

Content Availability: Worldwide

News Language: English

RSS Feed: Available (XML)

API Access: Available (JSON, REST)

Website Security: Secure (HTTPS)

Publisher ID: #42

Publisher Details

Frequently Asked Questions