(Yicai Global) Feb. 21 -- Unmanned retail is still premature and people should ease back before going all in on the business model, according to the China vice president of Japanese convenience store chain Lawson.

The "shelf life" of this innovative model is getting ever shorter and retail should return to its roots, Zhang Sheng told Yicai Global, adding that the idea hit a wall faster than he had expected. Staffless shopping is a promising prospect but it is far from a mature sector, Zhang said.

"Those who run staffless shops mostly boast about how it cuts down on labor costs," he added, but saying they neglect to focus on something more important: customer satisfaction.

Size can help convenience stores turn a profit, but they will never make money without quality goods and careful management, Zhang said.

Editor: James Boynton