Will AI-powered open-door vending machines reshape Hong Kong’s retail landscape?

Sherry Shum has embraced a new shopping routine after finding a smart vending machine near her home in Chai Wan.

The 37-year-old retail worker uses her phone to scan a QR code, opens the smart machine’s door, picks up a bottle of Coca-Cola, an oolong tea and a pack of potato chips, closes it and walks away with HK$60 (US$7.70) worth of goods. The whole process is so seamless that the only time she spends is deciding what to buy.

The moment Shum takes an item from the shelf, the machine detects the product based on its appearance and debits her account. Once she shuts the door, the bill is settled via the payment method she selected before opening it.

“I buy things basically every day … I can grab multiple items at once after just opening the door,” she said. “The open-door machines are more convenient because you do not have to wait for items to drop one by one from traditional machines that sometimes get stuck.”