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In South Korea consumers can do grocery shopping in virtual stores at bus stops or subway stations on the way home.

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Shopping
TECH

Code of consumption

South Koreans are shopping on their way home from work, and all they are lifting is their phone
3/10/2012
Sasiwimon Boonruang

On the way home from work, busy commuters in South Korea are able to save time doing their supermarket shopping thanks to virtual stores at bus stops and subway stations where people can pick up juice, fruit, snacks and more from their smartphones.

.... Once customers order the products, the store checks the order list, then packages the products and delivers [them to their home] on the same day, 10 times a day..

The outdoor media displays look like those in stores, and consumers can scan QR codes with their smartphones to order products. ....The display, the main feature in the whole strategy, is designed to look exactly like an actual store, from layout to merchandise.

...The average purchase in virtual stores is 90,000 won (2,500 baht), which is more than an average offline purchase.... Bestselling items in virtual stores are instant coffee, bottled drinking water and juice.

...The success of virtual stores in South Korea has lead Tesco to expand the concept to the UK by implementing the virtual store at London's Gatwick airport. In Thailand, Tesco Lotus is going to introduce an online shopping service by the fourth quarter of this year giving customers the opportunity to order both fresh and dried groceries through an easy-to-use internet interface and have them delivered to their homes.

(Source: Bangkok Post, Shopping, TECH, Code of consumption, South Koreans are shopping on their way home from work, and all they are lifting is their phone, 3/10/2012, Sasiwimon Boonruang, link) 

 
Online Shopping Vocabulary

shopping - การชอปปิ้ง (See Wikipedia)

online shopping - a service where customers are able to buy things directly over the internet and have them delivered to their home without having to go to a store, find the item on store shelves and wait in a line to buy it (See Wikipedia)

groceries - food and other goods for the home that you buy regulary in stores
grocery shopping

fresh groceries - things that need to be refrigerated and fresh like vegetables or meat
dried groceries - things that do not need refrigeration (that are dried and can be stored on store shelves)
fresh and dried groceries

online - connected to the internet
offline - not connected to the internet

purchase - to buy something
online purchase - buy something over the internet
offline purchase - buy something in a store (not over the internet)

virtual - so similar to the real thing that you can treat it as the real thing เสมือนจริง
virtual stores - ways to buy things that are like a store, but not a store

consumption - goods and services that people buy การบริโภค (See Wikipedia)
consumers - people who buy things (individuals and families)

bus stop - a public place by the road where people wait for a bus
subway stations

code - a set of numbers that allows you to do something by computer (such as communicate with your bank or buy something at a store) รหัส
code of consumption

commuters - people who regularly travel between work and home คนเดินทางระหว่างบ้านและที่ทำงาน
busy commuters in South Korea are able to save time

X thanks to Y - able to do good thing X because of Y
able to save time doing their shopping thanks to virtual stores at subway stations

smartphones - mobile phones that offer advanced features so they become a lot like a computer (See Wikipedia)

pick up - buy quickly (on the way home, for example)
people can pick up juice, fruit, snacks and more from their smartphones

On the way home from work, busy commuters in South Korea are able to save time doing their supermarket shopping thanks to virtual stores at bus stops and subway stations where people can pick up juice, fruit, snacks and more from their smartphones..... Once customers order the products, the store checks the order list, then packages the products and delivers [them to their home] on the same day, 10 times a day..

media - radio, television, newspaper, video, the Internet, considered as a group สื่อ
outdoor media displays - a photo, poster, billboard or video located outside in a public place where people can see it

QR codes - a square marking on things (like a bar code) that can be read by a mobile phone (See Wikipedia)

scan - move over something and take picture or get image of some document (example: scan book using a scanner)
scan QR codes
scan QR codes with their smartphones to order products

feature - to include someone or something as an important part ทำให้เด่น
strategy - a plan to achieve long term goals ('strategy' gives the big picture, 'tactics' the details)

actual - real; existing in fact จริง
an actual store
designed to look exactly like an actual store

layout - arrange information on a mobile phone or computer screen; the way that something is arranged สถานที่
merchandise - goods that are bought and sold ผลิตภัณฑ์, วัตถุที่ซื้อขายกัน

designed to look exactly like an actual store, from layout to merchandise.

The outdoor media displays look like those in stores, and consumers can scan QR codes with their smartphones to order products. ....The display, the main feature in the whole strategy, is designed to look exactly like an actual store, from layout to merchandise....The average purchase in virtual stores is 90,000 won (2,500 baht), which is more than an average offline purchase.... Bestselling items in virtual stores are instant coffee, bottled drinking water and juice.

expand - to become larger ขายตัวออกไป
concept - a principle or idea ความคิด
expand the concept - add to an idea (that already exists)

implementing - turning a plan into a functioning system นำมาใช้จริง
implementing a virtual store

interface - the part of a computer, mobile, etc that allows a person to enter information into the system (allows interaction with computer)
internet interface
an easy-to-use internet interface

opportunity - a situation when it is possible to do something that you want to do (See glossary)
giving customers the opportunity to order groceries through an internet interface

...The success of virtual stores in South Korea has lead Tesco to expand the concept to the UK by implementing the virtual store at London's Gatwick airport. In Thailand, Tesco Lotus is going to introduce an online shopping service by the fourth quarter of this year giving customers the opportunity to order both fresh and dried groceries through an easy-to-use internet interface and have them delivered to their homes.

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