Rokid launches ‘no man’s land’ retail experience with Hong Kong flagship store opening
When shoppers step into Rokid’s brand new flagship store in Hong Kong, they are greeted not by eager sales associates, but by glowing monitor screens and a robotic system waiting at the exit. In what the Chinese augmented reality (AR) gadget pioneer called an experiment in “no man’s land” retail, customers navigate the entire journey independently: testing artificial intelligence smart glasses,…
Rokid, an augmented reality (AR) gadget innovator, launched a groundbreaking "no man's land" retail experience in Hong Kong on Thursday. The new flagship store, situated within the Harbour City shopping centre, eschews human sales associates in favor of automated systems and glowing monitor screens. Shoppers can independently test AI smart glasses, make payments on screens, and receive their devices via an automated system at checkout.
This trial-run venture, the first of its kind for the smart-glasses sector globally, was designed to challenge competitors and set an industry standard for new retail formats. With Hong Kong's affluent consumer base and strong ties to mainland China, the city was selected as the ideal location for industry-wide testing. Rokid's Hong Kong outlet offers nearly ten interactive demonstrations to showcase the glasses' practical applications.
The brand currently holds a 41% share of the global AR glasses market with displays, but faces stiff competition from Meta Platforms, which dominates the market with nearly 69% of shipments in Q2. Rokid's glasses are lighter and offer longer battery life than competitors, and operate on an open AI framework, allowing users in mainland China to connect with local models or international users to popular services like OpenAI's ChatGPT and Google's Gemini.
Despite the resource gap, Rokid's focus on brand experience and customer service remains a key differentiator, as the brand expands into Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Australia, New Zealand, and the US, with plans for a full commercial launch of its full-color AR glasses in mainland China on October 27.
Written by urgent.news from SCMP Business's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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