TLDR: Hyundai Department Store has officially expanded its generative AI-powered shopping assistant, ‘HEYDI,’ to include domestic customers, three months after its initial launch for foreign visitors. HEYDI offers personalized recommendations for stores, restaurants, and events, and helps design shopping routes based on customer preferences and real-time store information. This move marks a significant step in integrating AI technology into offline retail for enhanced customer experience.
Hyundai Department Store announced on October 19, 2025, the official expansion of its generative AI shopping assistant, ‘HEYDI,’ to serve all domestic customers. This initiative follows a successful three-month pilot phase where HEYDI was exclusively available to foreign visitors, demonstrating the department store’s commitment to integrating advanced AI technology into the offline retail experience.
H广大HEYDI is an innovative conversational AI designed to provide personalized shopping experiences. It recommends brand stores, restaurants, pop-up shops, and exhibitions tailored to individual customer interests and preferences. Customers can interact with HEYDI by scanning QR codes located at offline stores or by accessing the HEYDI menu on the Hyundai Department Store’s official website or mobile application. This allows them to converse with the AI to design their own unique shopping routes and experiences.
Initially launched in July, HEYDI quickly proved its value among foreign customers. During its pilot operation, the service recorded an average of 9,000 monthly uses, with approximately 2.5% of all foreign purchasing customers utilizing the assistant. Common inquiries from foreign customers included requests for gift recommendations, such as ‘What should I buy as a souvenir for my trip to Korea?’ and restaurant suggestions like ‘Are there restaurants where I can eat spicy Korean food?’ Additionally, many users sought comprehensive course planning, asking questions like ‘How can I enjoy my time more leisurely?’ and ‘How can I tour more efficiently?’ This highlights HEYDI’s role as a personalized shopping guide, reducing the need for customers to manually search social media or visit information desks.
A key differentiator for HEYDI is its reliance on the department store’s internal, real-time operating information, setting it apart from typical generative AI models that primarily use publicly available data. This internal data integration enables HEYDI to provide accurate and timely guidance, enhancing the quality of its recommendations.
According to a Hyundai Department Store official, ‘This is the first case in the department store industry to integrate AI technology into offline shopping spaces.’ The official added, ‘It will become a new alternative for customers seeking personalized retail experiences.’ The company anticipates that HEYDI will ‘expand the gift culture to the next level as the experience of purchasing gifts, which can feel vague without various information, turns into a different pleasure.’
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Looking ahead, Hyundai Department Store plans to further enhance HEYDI’s capabilities by expanding the data it can link to, including online and offline purchase histories, shopping cart data, and location information. This continuous development aims to deliver even more refined and sophisticated personalized curation, solidifying HEYDI’s position as a cornerstone of the department store’s ‘Deep Retail’ strategy.
