IntaSect Communications, Inc. (headquartered in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Tan Yufeng, President; hereinafter “IntaSect”), which provides overseas promotion and inbound support for China, Taiwan, and other countries, and Cloudpick Japan Inc. (headquartered in Chuo-ku, Tokyo; Yuexuan Li, Representative Director; hereinafter “Cloudpick”), have jointly opened the first walk-through, 24-hour unmanned store in the Kansai region that does not require a cash register at a hotel near Kansai International Airport on March 7, 2024 (Thursday, April 5, 2012). (headquartered in Chuo-ku, Tokyo; Yueying Li, CEO; hereinafter “Cloudpick”), will open on March 7, 2024 (Thursday) the first walk-through unmanned 24-hour store in the Kansai region* at a hotel near Kansai International Airport (WeChat Pay payment will be supported for the first time in Japan from April 5, 2024). A survey (survey period: March 7 to June 10) was conducted on products purchased at the unmanned store, and its ranking is presented below.

The unmanned store, which opened in a hotel near Kansai Airport, is used mainly by inbound customers. Nearly 90% of the purchasers’ payment methods during the two-month survey period were WeChat Pay users; since WeChat Pay was only supported from April 5, about one month after the store opened, we found that most of the customers were using WeChat Pay. As for the top-selling products in the survey, the top-selling products were drinking water (mineral water and other water) and soft drinks (beverages with less than 1% alcohol content, excluding lactic acid beverages, milk and dairy products).

General – Top10
1. Irohasu Natural Water
2. Suntory Natural Water 550ML
3. Evian 500ML
4. Irohasu Shine Muscat
5. ITO EN Oi Ocha Green Tea 600ML
6. Irohasu Momo
7. TTS CR Grace 3 electronic lighter
8. Coca-Cola Increased Volume Can 500ML
9. Nongshin spicy ramen mini cup
10. Suntory Iemon Tokucha 500ML

Of the products in the overall Top 10, Irohasu Natural Water ranked first, followed by Suntory Natural Water 550ML and Evian 500ML, making the top three “drinking water” products. Flavored water, such as Irohasu Shine Muscat, was in second place, followed by Suntory Natural Water 550ML and Evian 500ML in third place. Two were tea products such as “Ito En Oi Ocha Green Tea. The only non-food item in the Top 10 was an electronic lighter.

Sweets – Top3
1. Ryukakusan ST Nodo-Sukkiri Ame 120max
2. Ryukakusan ST Ryukakusan throat clearing candy
3. Asahi F&H Mintia C Smash

Other Foods – Top3
1. Nonshin spicy ramen mini cups
2. Jugakiya Nara Tenri Ramen
3. Maruzen Roasted Japanese Young Chicken Tandoori Chicken

Two throat lozenges and a mint tablet ranked in the top three in the confectionery category. Ryukakusan” is highly regarded by Chinese visitors to Japan as a “sacred medicine,” and its popularity was reflected in the ranking. Two instant ramen products also ranked in the food category, including “Nongshin’s Spicy Ramen Mini Cup,” which ranked ninth overall. Spicy ramen” is an instant ramen product from a Korean company, and its popularity not only in Asia but around the world was supported by many users of unattended stores in Japan.

■ Other Sundries – Top 3
1. TTS CR Grace 3 electronic lighter
2. Service electronic lighter
3. Eisai Chocola BB Light

Outside of food products, two products were electronic lighters, including the TTS CR Grace 3 Electronic Lighter, which was also ranked seventh overall. In many Asian countries such as China and Indonesia, where smoking rates* are high, electronic lighters appear to be in high demand.

*Source: https://www.globalnote.jp/post-12880.html

■ Comments from the Business Manager
CTO, IntaSect Communications, Inc.
Yoshiyuki Nishinaka
The survey results of the first cashier-free walk-through 24-hour unmanned store in the Kansai region, which opened in a hotel near Kansai International Airport, confirmed that inbound customers, especially travelers from China, are the main customer segment, as expected. The results of the survey confirmed that inbound customers, especially tourists from China, are the main customer segment, as expected. During the two-month survey period, approximately 90% of purchasers used WeChat Pay, and drinking water was the top-selling product. As part of future development, the company is considering expanding its product lineup for inbound customers, including local souvenirs.
At the same time, the ability to accept a variety of domestic payment methods through IntaPay makes it possible to open stores targeting a customer base other than inbound customers. In the future, the company plans to focus on introducing IntaPay within large organizations such as universities and corporations, as well as for supplementary use in existing street stores. For customers, there is the advantage of being able to purchase the products they want at any time without waiting at the cash register. Stores can expand their hours of operation while reducing labor costs, potentially increasing sales and reducing operating costs at the same time.
This unmanned store model has the potential to revolutionize not only the inbound market, but the entire domestic retail industry. It could be deployed in a variety of locations, including tourist attractions, transportation hubs, office districts, residential areas, and educational institutions. It is also expected to be introduced as a supplement to existing retail outlets, and could be a solution to a variety of needs, such as easing congestion during busy hours and providing service after hours.
The results of this survey and future development plans indicate that new retail formats utilizing technology have great potential in both the inbound and domestic markets. This innovative approach to both increasing customer satisfaction and improving the efficiency of store operations is likely to become an important trend in the retail industry in the future.

■Survey Overview
Survey period: March 8 to May 9, 2024 (62 days)
Number of buyers: WeChat Pay users (88.43% %）、クレジットカード利用者（11.57% )

■Features of walk-through unmanned stores
・Reduction of labor costs: Up to 75% or more reduction is possible
・Shoplifting prevention: Introduction of shoplifting prevention system using advanced and highly accurate AI-based product and behavior identification
・Multilingual support: English, Chinese, Korean, Thai, Vietnamese and other languages for inbound customers
・Payment methods: Supports various payment methods such as credit card, WeChat Pay, etc.

With this unmanned store, IntaSect and Cloudpick aim to bring innovation to the Japanese retail industry by providing a convenient and comfortable shopping experience for domestic and international travelers using Kansai International Airport.

■Company Profile
＜Cloudpick Japan K.K.＞
Company Name ：Cloudpick Japan K.K.
Representative ：Representative Director Yuexuan Li
Location ：REGRARD NINGYOCHO 1F, 11-8 Nihonbashi Hisamatsu-cho, Chuo-ku, Tokyo
Business Activities ：Software and hardware for unmanned and manpower-saving stores. Business description: System development of software, hardware, etc. for unmanned stores, support for store installation, operation, etc., and provision of services such as analysis, etc.

＜
Company name: IntaSect Communications, Inc.
Representative: Tan Yufeng, President
Location: B-M Bldg. 2F, 3-1 Kanda Ogawamachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101-0052, Japan
Established: November 2000
Business: Overseas promotion and inbound (visitor attraction) support mainly in mainland China and Taiwan Promotion, inbound support, cross-border EC for China, affiliate management, affiliate site patrol, system development, etc.
Capital ：98.56 million yen
URL ：https://www.intasect.com/

Established in November 2000. The company provides one-stop support for domestic and international web promotions and inbound business for overseas markets, mainly China and Taiwan, based on the four pillars of web marketing in Japan and overseas, comprehensive support for payment and inbound business, system-related services, and corporate innovation. Specifically, we support customer attraction through “IntaPay,” a multi-payment system based on WeChat Pay and Alipay, and Baidu advertisements; work style reform through electronic contracts and business process improvement; healthcare IoT-related R&D; offshore development; affiliate management services; and monitoring of SNS posts in Japan and overseas. We are developing a wide range of businesses both in Japan and overseas using cutting-edge technologies.

For inquiries regarding this matter, please contact:
IntaSect Communications, Inc.
Team X (X) Den, New Business Division
Phone: 03-3233-3525 (Business hours: 9:00 to 18:00 weekdays)
Contact: https://www.intasect.com/contact/