A major South Korean retailer has opened what it appears to be the world’s first virtual store geared to smartphone users, with shoppers scanning barcodes of products displayed in a Seoul subway station.

Seven pillars and six platform screen doors have been plastered with images of life-size store shelves filled with goods – such as milk, apples, a bag of rice or school backpacks – which each carry a small barcode.

Shoppers download a related application on their smartphone and make purchases by taking photos of the barcodes.

In fact, consumers don’t have to be anywhere near the virtual store. For example, if you want to order replacements of a bottle of water that you have in your hand, you don’t have to stop by the subway station.

You simply scan the bottle’s barcode with the Homeplus app. The products are delivered later to home or office.

Via Amusing Planet.