E-Mart will build a system this year that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to analyze a wide range of customer feedback and apply it to improving store operations. Going beyond simply responding to customer complaints, the AI analyzes the types, patterns, and frequency of customer grievances and even proposes customized response measures tailored to each individual store. The move is seen as a strategy to enhance offline competitiveness by improving customer experience amid a prolonged slump in the hypermarket sector.
According to reporting by the Seoul Economic Daily on Monday, E-Mart plans to apply AI to its "e-Sori System" and introduce an AI-recommended store-by-store operational improvement report service in the second half of this year. The core concept is for the AI to classify customer feedback by type, analyze frequency and trends, and then derive optimal on-site improvement plans that take into account each store's unique operating environment.
The e-Sori System is an integrated customer feedback management system E-Mart introduced in 2020. It manages in one place customer feedback received through various channels, including a smartphone application, website inquiries, chat consultations, and the main phone line. The e-Sori System accumulates an average of about 8,000 pieces of customer feedback per day and about 240,000 per month.
The existing e-Sori System was centered on receiving customer complaints and responding to them individually. It later expanded its role to include review analysis for products and other items when AI technology was introduced in 2024. For example, if a surge in negative reviews is detected, an urgent alert is sent to the buyer in charge, and the feedback is reflected in product improvements and new product planning.
The system E-Mart is now introducing has the AI analyze by type not only products but also difficulties that arise throughout the entire shopping process—including checkout, parking, facilities, product locations, on-site guidance, and out-of-stock management—and present the causes of inconvenience and solutions differently for each store. For example, if parking-related complaints are concentrated at a particular store on specific dates and time slots, the AI proposes measures such as adding parking support staff or improving traffic flow.
E-Mart is introducing such a system to structurally resolve recurring customer complaints. The move is interpreted as reflecting a judgment that accumulated declines in customer experience could lead to customer attrition as well as long-term sales decreases. This customer-experience-strengthening strategy is also tied to the worsening conditions in the hypermarket sector. As the spread of online shopping and the growth of e-commerce narrow the standing of hypermarkets, boosting the competitiveness of offline stores has emerged as a survival task.
According to the "Major Retailers Sales Trends" released by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, hypermarkets' share of sales among all business categories stood at 8.1% as of May. It has steadily declined from 15.1% in 2021, recording 9.8% on an annual basis last year, falling into single digits for the first time. In particular, a sense of crisis in the hypermarket industry has intensified recently, with Homeplus facing the risk of bankruptcy.
E-Mart plans to focus going forward on advancing systems such as the e-Sori System. Over the medium to long term, in addition to reducing customer inconvenience, it plans to review various methods to present a better customer experience by combining other external information—such as date, time slot, and event information—with AI inference.
"The key is to comprehensively analyze customer feedback received in various areas, such as inconvenience in using services and facilities, and to present response measures tailored to each store, thereby operating customer service across a broader scope," an E-Mart official said. "We plan to continue improving customer experience through the e-Sori System and strengthen our offline competitiveness going forward."
