7-Eleven, Japan's largest convenience store chain, has started using artificial intelligence (AI) to plan products more efficiently. With this move, 7-Eleven will take a new approach to retail, where technology is mainly used to sell products.
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| 7-Eleven is the largest convenience store chain in Japan. |
Accordingly, 7-Eleven has set up an infrastructure for a special cloud-based information technology system. It is equipped with artificial intelligence created by companies such as startups OpenAI, Google and Stability AI to process data from sales activities, product manufacturers as well as social networks.
7-Eleven also hopes that AI will suggest new products.
All of this would streamline a process that currently relies on employees to develop product ideas by analyzing consumer surveys, as well as holding multiple internal meetings before launching to market.
While using generative AI to develop products is a new start, global retailers have been using other specially developed technologies, such as placing cameras in stores to identify individual customers and observe their product preferences.
Of 7-Eleven's nearly 9,000 employees, not counting franchisees, about 1,000 at the management level have already started using the system. This will be expanded to those involved in product development and marketing next spring.
7-Eleven has introduced a new generative AI infrastructure in one department, which has reduced internal meetings by about 80%. The system is expected to reduce the time it takes to complete each product plan from 10 months to just one month. Employees can use the time saved to complete other tasks and improve the product.
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