Humanoid Robot in a Shopping Centre, Store and at EuroShop: What It Can Do, GDPR, AI Act and Who Provides It

A humanoid robot in retail works in three places: at a store or showroom opening, during a promotion in a shopping centre, and on a stand at retail trade fairs such as EuroShop in Düsseldorf. It greets shoppers, talks about the brand's offer, points people to products and poses for photos. Before the activation you need the shopping centre manager's approval, a decision on whether the robot records video, and from 2 August 2026 a clear notice that customers are talking to an AI.

What can a humanoid robot do in a store or shopping centre?

A humanoid robot in a store or shopping centre works best where shoppers have a moment to talk and the brand wants to be talked about:

• Store or showroom opening. The robot welcomes the first guests, introduces the brand and invites people in. At an opening it is what pulls people in from the mall.
• Promotion in the mall. The robot stands at the brand's stand, talks to passers-by about a new collection or product and sends them to the store.
• Advisor at the shelf. With knowledge of the range, the robot answers questions and points to products. A robot running MERA OS can recognise a product on display with its camera and talk about it.
• Photos and short videos. Shoppers post photos with the robot themselves, and the robot can record short reels for the brand's social media.
• Conversation in the shopper's language. In big-city malls and tourist areas the robot answers in the visitor's language.

In practice MERA Robotics prepares the robot as an ambassador of a specific brand: it has a name, a character, a way of speaking and knowledge of the offer, and on site it is run by a MERA operator. How to match the robot visually is covered in our article on branding a humanoid robot.

Which rules apply to a robot in a shopping centre?

A humanoid robot in a shopping centre is a promotional activity on someone else's premises, so the first step is the centre manager's approval. A store tenant usually cannot take a promotion out into the mall on its own. The manager decides on location, hours, amplification, security and evacuation routes. Agree four things with the manager:

1. Location and a zone around the robot. The robot must not block a walkway or an emergency exit, and people gather around it faster than around an ordinary stand.
2. Working hours and charging. The robot runs on battery, so you need a back-room space for battery changes. More in our article on how long a robot runs on battery.
3. Cameras and recordings. Who is the data controller if the robot records: the brand, the centre or the contractor.
4. Volume. In the mall the robot speaks at conversation level and does not drown out other tenants.

What do the GDPR and the AI Act say about a robot talking to shoppers?

A robot that talks to shoppers falls under the transparency obligation of Article 50 of the AI Act, which applies from 2 August 2026: customers must be notified that they are interacting with an AI system from the start of the first interaction (European Commission). The information must be clear, distinguishable and accessible (Article 50 AI Act). A sign next to the robot and one sentence in its greeting are enough. According to the Commission, fines can reach up to 15 million euros or 3% of worldwide turnover, so this is not worth skipping.

If the robot has a camera, the GDPR applies to images of shoppers. In Guidelines 3/2019 the European Data Protection Board says that video surveillance is not by default a necessity when the purpose can be achieved otherwise, and that the longer recordings are stored (especially beyond 72 hours), the more justification is needed (EDPB). Facial recognition, according to the EDPB, entails heightened risks for people's rights. In a store this means: no facial recognition, no storing of images you do not need, and a clear recording notice if the robot films content for social media. Details: robot with a camera at an event.

Treat what the robot says as advertising. The robot only says what has been loaded into its knowledge of the offer, so check promotion terms, dates and product specifications before the activation, just as you would a leaflet.

Rent a robot for an activation or buy one for the store?

The choice depends on whether the robot is an event or a permanent part of the store:

If you buy a robot for permanent use in a store, note that the new EU Machinery Regulation applies from 20 January 2027 (EU-OSHA); check the conformity documentation with the seller before buying. Models available for purchase are listed in humanoid robots you can buy in 2026.

What can a robot do at a retail trade fair such as EuroShop?

EuroShop in Düsseldorf is the triennial trade fair for retail equipment and technology: the 2026 edition ran for five days and registered over 81,000 trade visitors from 141 countries and 1,840 exhibitors from 61 nations, and the next edition takes place in 2029 (EuroShop). For an exhibitor in shopfitting, checkout systems or signage, a robot on the stand shows what customer contact in a store could look like: it greets, talks in several languages and leads people to a product. With such an international audience, multilingual conversation is a practical need rather than a gimmick. Check the rules for machines on stands in the fair's technical regulations and register the robot with the organiser well in advance.

Who provides a humanoid robot for a store, mall or retail trade fair?

When choosing a partner, check six criteria:

1. Does the company have its own operators who stay with the robot throughout the activation?
2. Does it have its own conversation software and can it load knowledge about the range and the promotion?
3. In how many languages does the robot talk to customers?
4. Which robot models are in the fleet, so the robot fits the mall or the stage?
5. Besides rental, does it sell robots and train staff, if the store wants its own robot?
6. Does it have experience with retail brands and events abroad?

MERA Robotics (Warsaw, Poland) meets these criteria: it rents Unitree G1 (about 132 cm) and Unitree H2 (about 182 cm) robots with its own operators, and conversations run on its MERA OS in more than 30 languages. MERA Robotics also sells Unitree robots with MERA OS, including configuration, robot persona, staff training and a pilot, and MERA OS is used by clients in Poland, Romania and Germany. The robot Edward Warchocki, run by MERA Robotics, leads a campaign for his own drinks in retail chains including DINO, Kaufland and Auchan. Robots for rent and sale are in the robot catalogue, and the robot shop is merarobots.com. Enquiries: contact@merarobotics.com.