Business is all about opportunity cost – most businesses would like to own their premises, but reality dictates that rental is the way to go until one makes such a huge profit and finds a suitable seller. Having said that, one’s business would also need to make adequate profit to cover the costs of operation – rental include. Hence, it is not surprising to hear that renting a robot might actually be beneficial in the long run as this novelty would certainly attract more customers to your premises which might then be translated to sales. SoftBank of Japan is pleased to take in pre-orders for the enterprise model of its Pepper humanoid robot from October 1 onward, calling it “Pepper for Biz”, where it will have an asking price of 55,000 yen (approximately $440) each month to rent.
Each rental contract will last for 36 months, and hence, businesses will need to lock in approximately $15,940 in rental charges at the bare minimum. SoftBank’s Pepper robot has been a hot seller, selling out in just a minute in June this year in the Land of the Rising Sun, despite retailing for approximately $1,610 a pop. The personal version of Pepper was developed in order to express human emotions – and perhaps even read them, functioning as a companion for lonely humans, which will most probably target the older age group in Japan.
No specific industry is being targeted by “Pepper for Biz,” but chances are it will land roles in businesses that offer consumer services or retail stores to attract the attention of shoppers. [Press Release]