Early Heatwave Drives Significant Increase in E-commerce Sales of 'Cooling Appliances'

Air Conditioner Purchases Surge 43% Year-on-Year on TMON
WEMAKEPRICE Sees 2.7x Increase in Sales of 'Window-Type Air Conditioners'

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Cheol-hyun] Due to the early heatwave, sales of summer cooling appliances are surging among major e-commerce companies. Since early this month, daytime temperatures in Seoul have exceeded 27 degrees Celsius, predicting a hot summer, and with reduced outdoor activities and increased time spent at home due to the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), demand for air conditioners and other cooling appliances has risen early.

According to TMON on the 30th, air conditioner purchases in May this year increased by 43% compared to the same period last year. From the 1st to the 25th of this month, the number of customers who purchased air conditioners on TMON was more than four times higher than in April, the previous month. Considering that the increase rate of buyers in May compared to April last year was about twice, this is a very significant rise.

WEMAKEPRICE has also seen an increase in sales of cooling appliances. Sales data for cooling appliances from the 18th to the 24th of this month showed that desk fans increased threefold (203%), and air circulators, which have recently become essential seasonal appliances, rose by 69%. In particular, sales of 'window-type air conditioners' increased 2.7 times (169%) compared to last year. Since they do not require an outdoor unit and can be installed anywhere with a window, they seem to be popular especially among single-person households. Sales of 'portable air conditioners' with wheels that can be moved to desired locations also increased by 19%.

The industry analyzes that the demand for cooling appliances has greatly increased due to the expected heatwave this summer, which started earlier than usual, and the ongoing '2020 Top Efficiency Appliance Purchase Cost Refund Program' that refunds 10% of the purchase cost when buying energy efficiency grade 1 appliances since the end of March.

Accordingly, each e-commerce company has prepared various promotional events. WEMAKEPRICE is running a uniform price special event under the concept of 'Summer Happiness for 10,000 Won' for three days starting from the 29th. TMON plans to hold an 'Air Conditioner Festival' promotional event until the end of August to make shopping more convenient for customers. Lee Jin-won, CEO of TMON, said, "As indoor activities increase, demand for cooling products is rising, and we are striving to ease customers' burdens through various promotional events and discount promotions."

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