{"id":154641,"date":"2023-06-30T10:56:24","date_gmt":"2023-06-30T01:56:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/?post_type=news&p=154641&lang=en"},"modified":"2023-06-30T10:56:24","modified_gmt":"2023-06-30T01:56:24","slug":"lawson-launches-avatar-assisted-service-in-kyushu","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/en\/news\/lawson-launches-avatar-assisted-service-in-kyushu\/","title":{"rendered":"Lawson Launches Avatar-Assisted Service in Kyushu"},"content":{"rendered":"

In a step towards embracing the digital age, Lawson, a familiar convenience store chain, has embarked on a pilot program in Kyushu, employing avatar-operated customer service. The avatars, controlled remotely by professionals, are adept at ‘motion’ and ‘voice’ to provide smooth customer interactions.<\/span><\/p>\n

The employee controlling the avatar is based in Osaka, who is able to assist customers via a monitor, addressing their needs, offering product information and supporting payments at the register.<\/span><\/p>\n

This new form of employment presents an opportunity for those who may have had barriers to traditional in-store work, such as individuals with caregiving responsibilities or mobility issues. By eliminating the need for physical presence in the store, this initiative taps into a latent workforce, providing them with an opportunity to earn a living.<\/span><\/p>\n

The avatar service has already been successfully launched in Tokyo and Osaka. Although there are currently no plans to transition to fully avatar-operated stores, Lawson is committed to enhancing the service, with a focus on including capabilities like sign language and foreign language assistance.\u00a0 <\/span>Source: <\/b>KBC<\/span><\/a> \/<\/span> Lawson<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

\"LawsonPhoto from <\/span>PR Times<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Stay informed with the latest Fukuoka & Kyushu news and events in English. Sign up for our <\/span>free weekly newsletter <\/span><\/a>today and never miss a beat. Opt out anytime, your privacy is our priority. Get the inside scoop with <\/span>The Now<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Summaries based on public content, errors may occur during translation. Images credited independently. Send feedback using <\/span>this <\/span>form<\/b>.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In a step towards embracing the digital age, Lawson, a familiar convenience store chain, has embarked on a pilot program in Kyushu, employing avatar-operated customer service. The avatars, controlled remotely by…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29305,"featured_media":154645,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","tags":[],"class_list":["post-154641","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","location-hakata-ku","news-category-business","en-US"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/154641","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/29305"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=154641"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/154645"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=154641"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=154641"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}