Homeplus "13% Increase in Online 'Proxy Shopping' by Children for Parents"

[Asia Economy Reporter Seungjin Lee] Due to the impact of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), online 'proxy shopping' by children for their parents is increasing.

According to Homeplus on the 5th, the number of orders with temporarily changed delivery addresses on the online mall in February increased by 13% compared to the same period last year. After the COVID-19 crisis alert was raised to the severe level, the number of orders with changed delivery addresses from February 24 to March 1 increased sharply by more than 58% compared to the previous week.

This is analyzed as children purchasing food, masks, and other items on behalf of their elderly parents who are not familiar with online shopping but need to reduce outdoor activities due to relatively weaker immunity.

In fact, fresh food sales on the Homeplus online mall in February grew by 143% compared to the previous year, nearly double the overall growth rate (78%). Fruit sales increased by 91%, vegetables by 279%, seafood by 180%, livestock products by 109%, and dry goods by 100%. Considering that this period is right after the Lunar New Year when consumption usually decreases and the trend of increasing demand for convenience foods, this result is even more remarkable.

In particular, demand for health-boosting foods was high. Abalone sales increased by 245%, while Korean beef and native chicken sales rose by 105% and 219%, respectively. Additionally, items such as strawberries (126%), apples (200%), tomatoes (134%), salads (119%), mushrooms (112%), seaweed (109%), and nuts (112%) recorded double-digit sales growth rates, driving category growth.

Sales of red ginseng, which helps improve immunity, increased by 260%, and sales of vitamins and probiotics also rose by 67% and 21%, respectively. Health teas and honey recorded sales growth rates of 29% and 17%, respectively.

Interest in health also extended to safe food, with sales of free-range eggs raised in natural, stress-free environments increasing by 549%, and sales of animal welfare eggs and chicken rising by 231% and 204%, respectively.

Meanwhile, Homeplus is launching a ‘Filial Shopping’ campaign for customers concerned about their parents living in their hometowns. A ‘Shopping for Parents’ special category has been created within the Homeplus online mall, offering various fresh foods and health functional foods that help with health easily and affordably.

The ‘Shopping for Parents’ special exhibition allows customers to change the delivery address to their parents’ address, add products to the cart, and place orders by specifying the desired date and time. The closest store to the parents’ home selects the freshest products and delivers them as quickly as possible. Various health-boosting ingredients and health functional foods will be offered at special prices until the 11th.

Song Seungseon, head of Homeplus Mobile Business Division, said, “We prepared this ‘Filial Shopping’ campaign to help vulnerable groups shop safely. We will do our best to stabilize the supply of daily necessities for the public by quickly delivering the freshest products from the mart closest to the customer’s home anytime, anywhere.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.