Stellar Lifestyle envisions the future of retail with new hub

Retail, advertising and lifestyle solutions company Stellar Lifestyle has launched a new retail innovation hub, Hive 2.0, at Esplanade Xchange. 

Hive 2.0 is the company's showcase of how it envisions the future of retail innovation through the lens of technology. The hub is measured 3,200 sq feet big and will feature 10 unique retail concepts, mostly developed by up-and-coming local startups. 

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With Hive 2.0, office workers at South Beach Development will be able to use a robo-delivery service from Esplanade MRT station to their office building.

For example, workers can order items from Esplanade MRT station's 7-Eleven through the QuikBot app. QuikBot's delivery robots will autonomously transport purchases, consolidate orders on larger robots with a fleet of smaller ones, navigate lifts, gantries, and multiple buildings to deliver items directly to office floors.

These robots will exchange items with each other to optimise logistics efficiency and will also be the first to self-navigate on common corridors as they move between Esplanade MRT and South Beach Tower

Other unique highlights of Hive 2.0 include a room-sized robotic retail dispensing machine developed by Mr.R Robotics, and a pop-up sampling solution that allows merchants to offer their products to customers on a short-term basis in curated retail spaces. 

In the coming months, commuters can also order bubble tea while they are on the train and pick it up from JAVIS, a robot bubble tea store, when they arrive Hive 2.0.

“Hive by Stellar Lifestyle continues to support small and medium enterprises (SMEs) by introducing and validating innovations. This year, Hive 2.0 will leverage Artificial Intelligence (AI), robotics and connected networks to help our merchant partners become more operationally resilient," said Tony Heng, president of Stellar Lifestyle. 

"We designed these innovations to leverage our extensive rail network, allowing us to create new in-store experiences where consumers can enjoy greater convenience and enhanced retail experiences."

Other initiatives include 7-Eleven Shop & Go - its first self-checkout retail store where commuters can tap their credit card to enter.

It leverages artificial intelligence (AI), smart cameras, deep learning and multi-sensor fusion technologies to provide a frictionless retail experience to shoppers with a seamless Tap, Shop and Go process. 

Hive 2.0 is not the only thing enhancing commuter's journey. Earlier this month, it was revealed that seven train stations along the same Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) line will be enlivened with murals as part of the partnership between National Arts Council (NAC) and Land Transport Authority (LTA). 

Envisioned as an art trail, the initiative aims to give the public a head-start in viewing the artworks that will be showcased throughout Singapore Art Week (SAW) which will be taking place from 19 to 28 January 2024, according to a statement by NAC.

The themed train will feature a piece of art titled “My Mother Says”, a tapestry of sayings and words of wisdom. It is a co-creation involving 20 Tampines Changkat residents in which participants shared their stories and preserved the wisdom encapsulated in their elders’ words by transmuting them into light installations through creative typography. This was a product of a three-week workshop under the SAW x PAssionArts project.

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