AI mirror installation in Seoul
We built the Magic AR mirror for Yepoda in Seoul, a beauty try-on that syncs with the brand’s new colours and turns the shopper into floating bubbles to promote their foam cleanser. Photos and video go to the customer’s phone by QR, a free gift comes back in exchange for a share, and the queue outside does the marketing.
The short version. Live generative try-on at 25 frames per second, localised in Korean. Software from 8,000 EUR, hardware 1,000 to 5,000 EUR on top. Korean certification and import handled. Free pilot, two to four weeks from brief to live.
What we install in Seoul
AI mirrors for beauty and cosmetics retail, which is where most Seoul projects start. Virtual makeup try-on, because testing a shade without opening a tester is the whole argument in a cosmetics store. AR mirrors with filters and avatars for flagships. And virtual dressing rooms for fashion in Cheongdam and Seongsu.
Seoul is the most demanding beauty market we install in
The audience here has seen every screen. A photo booth in a mall is old, a filter on a phone is free, and a mirror that takes twenty seconds to render gets one visitor. That is the useful pressure of this city: it forces the technology question early. Real-time generation on the live camera feed is not a nice marketing line in Seoul, it is the minimum to be taken seriously.
The second local reality is that the experience has to feel Korean, not translated. That means the interface in Korean, not English with subtitles. Type that works with the local cosmetic categories rather than a generic palette. Content that references what people actually shop for, which in Seoul is texture, finish and skincare layering as much as colour. A beauty mirror in Apgujeong that looks like an imported demo reads as an imported demo.
Then the retail geography. Myeongdong is high traffic and short visits, so throughput matters more than dwell time. Cheongdam is quiet, appointment-driven and unforgiving about finish: the hardware has to disappear into the interior. Seongsu is where a young brand can be strange and get away with it. The same mirror needs different content in each.
The practical side of installing in Korea
Power is the easy part. Korea runs 220 volts on Type C and F sockets, the same as most of Europe, so our standard units do not need reworking. Certification is the part that catches people: equipment sold in Korea needs KC marking, and the technical file has to be in order before the unit clears.
On import, the EU-Korea free trade agreement removes duty on most of what we ship, provided the origin documentation is correct. That paperwork is worth having right the first time, because a crate held at customs costs more in launch delay than the duty would have.
The climate swings harder than Europe. Summer is hot and very humid, with a monsoon season that puts water in the air for weeks. Winter is cold and dry. Both matter for a unit sitting in a shop window: humidity finds its way into connectors, and dry cold makes static a real nuisance on a glass surface. We specify for the season the installation will live through, not for the day of commissioning.
Who buys this in Seoul
K-beauty brands with a flagship or a road shop that needs a reason to stop. Cosmetics retailers running a campaign around a single product, where the mirror is the campaign. Fashion brands in Cheongdam or Seongsu adding something interactive. Department stores with a beauty floor that all looks the same. And brands from Europe entering Korea who need a local installation rather than a shipped crate and good luck.
No weddings, no private parties, no consumer rentals. B2B only.
Cost and timeline
| Item | Range |
|---|---|
| Software licence, our real-time AI stack | from 8,000 EUR |
| Hardware, screen size and structure dependent | +1,000 to +5,000 EUR |
| Complete permanent installation, 75 inch vertical, shipping and commissioning | around 20,000 EUR |
| Brief to live | 2 to 4 weeks |
Korean certification and freight sit outside that range. We quote them as separate lines because they depend on the product classification and the season, neither of which we control.
See the mirror running
Filmed on site, our own hardware and our own software. No render, no post-production overlay.
Questions from Seoul clients
Is the interface in Korean? Yes. Interface, prompts and generated voice, with English available alongside for tourist areas.
Do you charge per photo or per session? No. The licence is a software fee, not a metered service. A busy Saturday costs the same as a quiet Tuesday.
Do we need the cloud? No. The AI runs on the machine beside the screen, which also means images do not leave the store unless you export them.
Can it promote one product specifically? That is what the Yepoda build did. The mirror can be built around a single item for a campaign, then switched to a broader range afterwards.
How fast can you install a second store? Once the first build exists, a repeat in the same city is quicker because the content and certification are already done. Ask for a rollout price rather than a second project price.
Let’s talk about your Seoul project
Tell us the store, the product and the date. We will come back with what fits, what Korean certification will take, and a quote that separates software, hardware and freight. The pilot is free.
