Singtel unveils moveable unmanned 24/7 pop-up store

A roving live bot provides personalised phone and plan recommendations.

Singtel has launched an unmanned 24/7 pop-up store, UNBOXED, designed to introduce customers to a new retail experience featuring the convenience of digital technology in a customer friendly environment, an announcement revealed.

Said to be a first for Singapore, customers can consult with a roving live bot, which is powered by facial recognition technology, to receive personalised recommendations, as well as try out phones, sign up for mobile plans at video-assisted self-serve kiosks, and immediately collect their purchased devices from the in-store POPStation.

They can also make bill payments, top up prepaid cards and Dash wallets, and get instant SIM card replacements.

Currently based in the Central Business District (CBD) at 20 Pickering Street, the pop-up store is modular and movable and measures 45 sqm when fully extended. The store will move to a new location every few months to serve customers at high-traffic areas such as transport hubs and school campuses.

Co-created by Singtel staff, NCS and SingPost, security for the store is provided by NCS, which developed a round-the-clock security platform called Sentinel, whilst the POPStation lockers are prefilled with devices and replenished daily using SingPost’s Last Mile Platform (LaMP).

“UNBOXED fulfils the needs of today’s consumer and provides a peek into the next-generation of retail – fast, instant, convenient and experiential,” said Yuen Kuan Moon, CEO of consumer Singapore at Singtel.