Citizens visit and experience exhibits at Nanjing"s first robot 6S store during its trial operation in Nanjing, East China"s Jiangsu Province on September 29, 2026. Photo: VCG

　　Robots are moving out of laboratories and exhibition halls and into shopping malls and commercial streets across China. As more Chinese robotics companies open brick and mortar stores, ordinary consumers can now not only see and interact with robots up close, but even buy them directly.

　　The wave of store openings reflects a new shift in China"s robotics sector, as the industry moves more quickly from technology demonstrations toward real world applications and commercialization, industry observers said on Tuesday.

　　From stores to homes

　　On a recent weekday afternoon, the Shenzhen artificial intelligence 6S store, in Shenzhen, South China"s Guangdong Province, was bustling with visitors, including tourists from the Middle East and Southeast Asia. Staff was busy introducing diverse products, while foreign visitors could be heard expressing surprise as they interacted with the robots on display.

　　Shenzhen"s first global artificial intelligence 6S store marked its first anniversary on Monday. Over the past year, it has received 300,000 visitors, including 30,000 from overseas, and brought together more than 450 brands and over 600 AI products.

　　According to store staff, more than 100 types of robots are available for sale, rental or customization, ranging from humanoid robots and robot dogs to machines designed for coffee making, massage and patrol. The store has also become a popular stop on Shenzhen"s technology tourism routes. A display board at the entrance showed that guided group visits were priced from 200-800 yuan ($29.80-$119).