We are living in a society in which people are increasingly adopting a busier lifestyle, and there is an obvious upsurge in demand for goods and services that will help conserve valuable time and energy whenever possible. “Retail Renaissance” presents creative offline and online stores; one store that has made it to success is Home plus.

“Home plus, the Korean branch of Tesco, recently launched a series of virtual stores on subway platforms, enabling customers to make purchases using their smartphones while they wait for a train.”

This innovative way of grocery shopping has increased Home plus’s online sales by 130%. The virtual Home plus store’s target market includes anyone from busy workers, students, to seniors with a smartphone who greatly value the convenience. After all, the process is to simply scan, pay, and the products are delivered to your house shortly after.

A virtual grocery store in South Korea is profitable with over 10 million smartphone users and a reliable online service. Moreover, Home plus is able to differentiate itself from other online competitors by merchandising products like a traditional store at a subway station. Consumers would be more inclined to use this service while waiting for their next train than to search through websites to find their needs. In addition, by creating a virtual grocery store with merely the pictures of their products, they’re able to decrease their inventory costs, and very likely minimize additional marketing costs, assuming that virtual stores that plaster the walls of subway stations are probably going to do a fine job promoting itself.

Therefore, the novel grocery shopping method undoubtedly delivers superior customer value and satisfaction. With more Millennials reaching adulthood, this technology oriented shopping service is likely to become a profitable marketing strategy for the future.