Sino’s Olympian City & pop-up experience platform PopSquare launch “POP Gallery”

First-ever “LEGO® TechnicTM – STEM A.I. concept store” presents an integrated online x offline retail concept on top of promoting STEM education

HONG KONG, CHINA – Media OutReach – 26 June 2020 – Online shopping is fast becoming a dominant global trend. As a company committed to promoting innovation and providing its customers with a top-quality shopping experience, Sino Group is pioneering an integrated online x offline retail concept through the “POP Gallery” at Olympian City. Launched in collaboration with pop-up experience platform PopSquare, POP Gallery displays a selection of trending products, methodically identified with the aid of big data and artificial intelligence (A.I.) technologies. Customers can now enjoy a seamless online x offline shopping experience, in which they get to first explore products that are trending online in real life, before buying them online.    

Olympian City teams up with world-renowned toy brand LEGO® on the first project at POP Gallery — the world’s first LEGO® TechnicTM — STEM A.I. concept store, which showcases LEGO® TechnicTM, identified by A.I. and big data technologies to be the brand’s most popular series among global consumers.

Customers can obtain exclusive offers by interacting with the 5 A.I. enabled pop kiosks at the LEGO® TechnicTM — STEM A.I. concept store @POP Gallery or engage in live games.

On 5 June 2020, POP Gallery officially opened its doors and greeted customers with the first-ever “LEGO^® Technic^TM — STEM A.I.concept store” @POP Gallery. Rolled out with household name LEGO^®, the store features LEGO^® Technic^TM, top on the worldwide Trend Prediction list. While introducing an industry-leading retail concept, the store features an array of LEGO^® Technic^TM sets and experiential workshops to promote STEM education.

Predicting global trends and identifying coveted products with A.I. and big data

To help the Hong Kong public follow global trends more closely, Olympian City and PopSquare join hands to present a new retail concept at POP Gallery, where A.I. and real-time big data analytics are applied. Not only can customers experience the most talked-about products from around the world and stay informed of the latest trends like their global counterparts, but the “Trend Prediction” function of POP Gallery also analyses online brand data collected from some of the most used social media platforms and online retail networks (e.g. Facebook, Instagram and Amazon) to predict upcoming trends and identify brands and product categories popular among global consumers. Eventually, unique, uncommon, hot-off-the-press products are brought to POP Gallery so that Hong Kong consumers can join hipsters worldwide and stay at the forefront of global trends. 

World’s first LEGO^® Technic^TM — STEM A.I. concept store promotes STEM through play

The first brand brought to POP Gallery is world-renowned toy brand LEGO^®. Its LEGO^® Technic^TM series, identified by A.I. and big data technologies as the most popular of the brand’s products among global consumers, is on display at the first-ever LEGO^® Technic^TM — STEM A.I. concept store from 5 June to 5 July 2020. Customers can try various LEGO^® Technic^TM products and enjoy a seamless online x offline shopping experience.

Featuring advanced, life-like models of different sizes that can be built with individual parts like gearboxes, pneumatic systems and motors, LEGO^® Technic^TM is suitable for both beginners and experienced builders. The series encourages users to acquire STEM skills through play, which corresponds to Olympian City’s mission to promote STEM education. To facilitate interaction and further learning of STEM knowledge including mechanical movement, LEGO^® Technic^TM STEM workshops will be held at the concept store every Saturday and Sunday while the store is open.

Enjoy a new shopping experience at POP Gallery and get exclusive offers

In addition to the workshops, customers can interact with the 5 A.I. enabled pop-up kiosks at POP Gallery or take part in live games to obtain special offers, such as a 10% discount on LEGO^® Technic^TM and selected LEGO^® STEM products at Toys”R”Us located at Olympian City 3.

Following the collaboration with LEGO^®, POP Gallery will continue to glean big data on local and global brands both online and offline using A.I., and introduce new products from around the world to the kiosks. Items to be rolled out in July include green products, practical designs, tasteful, convenient lifestyle products and wholesome games for children. After viewing and trying a product in person, customers can scan the QR code at the kiosk to receive a link, through which they can place an order and arrange for home delivery with their smart devices. They can also input their phone number on the kiosk touchscreen to get the link via SMS.

Details of the activities:

About Olympian City

Located at the heart of the “Golden Circle”, Olympian City is a premier shopping destination in West Kowloon. Comprising 800,000 square feet of retail space, it is home to more than 280 shops. The over 40 restaurants serve a wide array of Western and Asian cuisines, with an al fresco setting for diners to savour delicacies from around the globe. Meanwhile, an impressive range of stores from renowned brands in fashion, beauty, sports, healthcare and kids’ products are there to meet the needs of customers who are in pursuit of good taste.

In addition to regular events and promotional campaigns, Olympian City engages customers with the Olympian Kids programme and S+ REWARDS loyalty programme. It is also the first shopping mall to introduce a STEM lab. The interactive lab, called OC STEM Lab, is equipped with state-of-the-art facilities that cater to the evolving needs of a sophisticated young audience. A wide spectrum of tailored activities and workshops is offered to unleash their potential, widen their horizons and spark their creativity, and engage the community in building a better future through technology.

About PopSquare

PopSquare is a pop-up experience platform whose objective is to elevate the customer experience by creating an unmanned, stress-free product experience through A.I. technologies. Striving to promote a new retail concept, PopSquare uses big data technologies to source trending products from across the world. 5G technology is used for video calls so that designers and innovators can easily set up and run their popup stores simultaneously across different locations. By taking advantage of the latest big data, computer vision, sensor fusion and machine learning technologies, PopSquare helps to save up to 90% of effort and time than before. By connecting online and offline systems, complemented by interactive games, PopSquare makes it possible to “experience first, buy after” and wait for delivery in the comfort of one’s home. In the future, PopSquare will continue to innovate and provide PopSquare kiosks to brands around the world and help them present the latest products to their customers.

About LEGO®

LEGO^® was founded by Ole Kirk Kristiansen, an outstanding carpenter. In 1932, he began to produce and sell toys in Billund, Denmark, precipitating the birth of LEGO^®. Kristiansen and his son had been keen to systemise play and develop toys with unlimited possibilities that would allow children to unleash their creativity and imagination. In the 1950s, the plastic LEGO^® brick finally came into light, and the motto “only the best is good enough” together with the mission “build the builders of tomorrow” became the guiding lights of the company. LEGO^® took the world by storm and since then has been providing toys, memories and learning materials to children in over 130 countries.  

LEGO^® and the LEGO^® logo are the trademarks of the LEGO^® Group. © 2020 The LEGO^® Group.