KT partners with O2O platform operator Manna Planet to develop remote-ordering system

By Kim Joo-heon Posted : April 28, 2022, 11:18 Updated : December 12, 2023, 22:50

[Gettyimages Bank]

SEOUL -- South Korea's top telecom company KT partnered with Manna Planet, a domestic IT company specializing in online-to-offline platforms, to accelerate digital transformation that would help small business owners save costs and improve work efficiency through automation. Various remote-ordering systems will be created.
 
Digital transformation (DX) incorporates various technologies such as internet of things (IoT), artificial intelligence and big data. Business operators can reduce operating costs and increase work efficiency by simplifying outdated work processes. DX has been adopted by many different sectors to complete simple and repetitive tasks without relying on the human workforce. For example, customer service assistants at domestic mobile carrier SK Telecom (SKT) are being replaced by AI-based chatbot and voicebot services that can answer simple customer inquiries.  
 
KT said in a statement on April 28 that the company forged a partnership with Manna Planet to develop various remote-ordering systems. The new services will allow users to order food and beverages through text messages. Store owners can promote their new products or notify nearby customers of information about their stores by sending text messages. "We will contribute to the innovation of small enterprise operators' business based on digital transformation," KT official Min Hye-byung said in a statement on April 28.
 
KT is currently providing a service that allows store owners to send a range of information about their business including discount benefits by sending text messages to customers who previously called the owner. It is used by more than 40,000 business operators. Manna Planet operates a food delivery service and store management system.
 
Digital kiosks are widely adopted at South Korean restaurants to save operating costs. The market for unmanned ordering machines stood at 350 billion won ($290 million) in 2020. However, many old people aged over 65 find it hard to use kiosks because of complicated procedures. Seoul is trying to analyze the reason why elderly individuals find it hard to use digital kiosks and develop a new simplified version based on the analysis result. 
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