Aju Business Daily

SEOUL -- Benchmarking artificial intelligence-based product suggestion services adopted by entertainment companies, the megastore wing of South Korea's retail giant Shinsegae will offer a personalized dietary supplements service using an AI sommelier for vitamins and functional food. The service targets health-conscious consumers who take supplements regularly.

A survey of 1,000 people aged between 16 and 65, conducted by market research firm Trendmonitor in May, showed that 84.5 percent take supplements regularly or occasionally. Dietary supplements include vitamins in form of pills or solutions and functional food such as hemp seed or royal jelly.

Emart said in a statement on December 21 that it would open "I AM____," an AI-based personalized supplement service store, at its outlet in eastern Seoul on December 14. The franchise would open five more stores by the end of 2021.

To tap South Korea's supplements market estimated at 4.6 trillion won ($4.1 billion), Emart
benchmarks AI-suggestion techniques used by entertainment companies such as Netflix, the world's biggest over-the-top (OTT) service, and Wavve, a domestic OTT platform, to offer personalized services by analyzing the preference of customers based on consumed content.

Customers who visit Emart's AI-based supplements store are required to fill out a form with their age, health conditions and lifestyle. AI will choose from 21 supplements to present an optimized combination. Human consultants will help customers customize personalized products.