[Edaily Reporter KIM JUNG YOU ] The domestic convenience store industry has been accelerating the adoption of kiosks (self-service terminals) since the start of this year. As the MZ generation emerges as the primary consumer base, convenience stores are expanding experiential consumption content via kiosks across various categories, including capsule toys (gacha), cosmetics (beauty), and temporary tattoos. In effect, convenience stores—once merely places to buy food—are evolving into unique experiential spaces.

According to industry sources on the 27th, CU—a convenience store chain operated by BGF Retail(282330)—is expected to roughly double the number of in-store kiosks it began introducing last year by the end of this year. Currently, CU operates a total of 1,000 kiosks, including 5 beauty kiosks, 10 tattoo kiosks, 15 locker kiosks, 40 fruit kiosks, 150 gacha kiosks, and 800 printing box kiosks. This is an aggressive strategy aimed at the MZ customer base.

Back in March of this year, CU also became the first in the convenience store industry to introduce a “Makeup Palette” kiosk that measures personal color (customized shades) and creates personalized beauty products. The kiosk’s built-in artificial intelligence (AI) analyzes a customer’s personal color to recommend shades that complement their skin tone and even creates the products on-site. Installed in areas with large foreign populations—such as Yeonnam-dong and Eulji-ro in Seoul—as well as near the Daechi-dong cram school district, these kiosks have recently recorded a usage rate of up to 140 transactions per month.

The tattoo kiosk, first introduced last year, is also gaining popularity among foreign visitors and the MZ generation. It applies the desired design to the skin in just 1–2 seconds, much like printing, and offers a variety of options, including over 100 designs—such as illustrations and text—as well as languages like Korean, English, Japanese, and Chinese. In particular, at the CU Myeongdong Station branch, which has a large foreign customer base, monthly usage has reached 530 transactions.

Jang Myeong-jin, manager of the CU Myeongdong Station branch, said, “Not only Koreans but also foreign visitors are going out of their way to visit our store after seeing convenience store tattoos on social media to experience them firsthand.” He added, “In particular, using this service often leads to purchases of other products, resulting in a significant cross-selling effect.”

GS Retail(007070)GS Holdings, the convenience store chain operated by GS Retail, has also recently been actively expanding its kiosk offerings centered on character intellectual property (IP) such as “Ichibankuji” and gacha. “Ichibankuji” refers to a “no-losers character lottery” that originated in Japan in 2003. The Ichibankuji kiosks, first introduced last year, are proving popular, with sales as of last month up 45.2% year-over-year.

Building on this success, GS Holdings began introducing gacha kiosks in its stores starting last March. Currently, they are in operation at four locations—the Myeongdong IB Store, Cheonggyecheon Fashion 2 Store, Hongdae Club Store, and Anjeong Rodeo Store—and the company plans to expand to 16 locations by the end of this month. Currently, the gacha machines offer Sanrio, *Demon Slayer*, BTS keychains, and Disney character merchandise.

GS Holdings had previously introduced “cotton candy kiosks” as well. These have been in operation since late 2023 at 13 stores located in amusement parks, public parks, and specialized commercial districts, offering a choice of 36 designs. In addition, photo printing kiosks—which print photos saved on a smartphone onto card-sized prints—are currently operating at approximately 200 locations nationwide. CU also operates kiosks called “Printing Box” that print photos and documents, with over 70% of users falling into the 10s and 20s age group.

The convenience store industry is accelerating the adoption of kiosks to keep pace with the growing demand for experiential consumption, particularly among MZ-generation customers. Since this helps boost foot traffic, it serves as a strategy for convenience stores to attract new customers to their stores even amid sluggish domestic demand.

Furthermore, since kiosks operate unmanned, they require no special attention from store owners; and given that convenience stores are open 24 hours a day, customers can use them at any time, offering many positive benefits. Unlike general convenience stores, which focus on locations in residential areas, entertainment districts, and business districts, kiosk stores prioritize locations with high concentrations of foreign customers or the MZ demographic.

A convenience store industry official stated, “K-Convenience Stores, which are expanding their product range from general food items to manufactured goods, beauty products, and fashion, are gradually becoming more specialized.” The official added, “As the trend intensifies to strategically place experiential consumption content—tailored to MZ customers or foreigners—based on specific locations and to further expand this approach, competition among kiosk stores is expected to become even more fierce within the industry.”