SHIN KONG MITSUKOSHI wins two awards at Retail Asia Awards 2026

The retail giant transformed traditional commerce through AI strategies and community-led digital marketing campaigns.

SHIN KONG MITSUKOSHI won AI Initiative of the Year - Taiwan and Digital Campaign of the Year - Taiwan in the Retail Asia Awards 2026. The company secured these accolades for its T368 agricultural project and the successful digital-led opening of its Tainan Xiaobeimen location. These initiatives demonstrate how the brand integrates technology to support local industries whilst driving significant foot traffic to its physical stores.

The T368 project addressed the digital divide for rural agri-producers in Taiwan by using AI-powered Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO). Many local producers struggle with digital branding due to intensive manual labour in the fields. SHIN KONG MITSUKOSHI acted as a digital proxy, using multi-model AI agents to crawl over 1 million data points. This system automated 20,000 words of branded content and created cinematic visuals to ensure rural products appeared as top recommendations in AI chatbots.

This initiative achieved a 30x growth in AEO visibility and a 2.1x increase in traffic. Physical pop-ups supported 118 brands and generated NT$2.47m in earned media value. By 2026, the company aims to support over 250 brands through this framework. The project also fulfilled ESG commitments by facilitating farmland adoption and donating 500 kg of rice to social causes.

Separately, the company was recognised for its digital marketing campaign for the opening of the Tainan Xiaobeimen store. This project used a social-first strategy on Facebook to create organic discussions amongst younger audiences.

To bridge the gap between online engagement and physical visits, SHIN KONG MITSUKOSHI collaborated with six Taiwanese artists to install public art in the store. It also launched limited-time dining vouchers through online channels for on-site redemption. These efforts resulted in more than 140,000 visitors during the first three days of trial operations. The campaign reached over 2 million people and generated more than 19.5 million views, whilst the official Facebook page grew to 60,000 followers by the grand opening.

The Retail Asia Awards highlights the pinnacle of excellence, innovation, and leadership within the retail industry across the Asia Pacific region. It serves as a benchmark of success, honouring companies and individuals who have made remarkable contributions to shaping the future of retail.

The Retail Asia Awards is presented by Retail Asia Magazine. To view the full list of winners, click here. If you want to join the 2027 awards programme and be acclaimed for your company's exceptional products or initiatives in the Retail industry, please contact Marni Marco at [email protected].