"From Home Cafes to Home Cinemas: Food and Beverage Industry Actively Markets to 'Homecance' Travelers During Vacation Season"

From 'Home Cafe' and 'Home Cinema' Theme Events to 'Homecance' Product Exhibitions

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Sunghye] Although the peak vacation season is approaching, many people are hesitant to make summer vacation plans due to the lingering impact of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). In fact, according to a survey conducted last month by a job portal targeting 866 office workers, only 26.8% of respondents said they have plans for summer vacation this year. Among the preferred types of summer vacations, ‘domestic travel (27.3%)’ was followed by ‘staying at home (20.3%).’

As such, this year is expected to see an increase in the so-called ‘homecance’ group who plan to spend their summer vacation at home without special plans. The food and beverage industry appears busy with marketing efforts aimed at capturing this audience. They are offering events themed around ‘home cafe’ and ‘home cinema,’ giving away related items as prizes or holding special exhibitions for ‘homecance’ products, helping consumers enjoy a summer vacation at home that rivals traveling to a destination.

According to the industry on the 2nd, Lotte Nestle Korea is holding the ‘My Own Cafe, Nescafe’ event so customers can enjoy a refreshing home cafe with Nescafe coffee. Until the 20th of next month, a summer recipe challenge using ‘Nescafe Supremo’ and ‘Nescafe Cold Brew’ will be held on the official Nescafe Instagram account. Participants can join by following the recipes sequentially introduced over two months for ‘Nescafe Supremo’ and ‘Nescafe Cold Brew’ and uploading their creations on their personal Instagram with designated hashtags (#MyOwnCafe #Nescafe #RecipeName).

Prizes include a Marshall Acton Speaker White (1 winner), DeLonghi Crema (3 winners), and Paris Baguette E-coupons worth 10,000 KRW (100 winners), all home cafe items. The two Nescafe products required for participation can be purchased at significantly discounted prices through shopping tags in the recipe content.

Simultaneously, an ice ball maker giveaway event is being held to enjoy a more luxurious summer home cafe experience. Customers who purchase Nescafe coffee and powdered beverage products at online retailers such as Nescafe Shop, Gmarket, Auction, 11st, and Interpark (excluding Coupang) will receive an ice ball maker. Eligible products include ▲Nescafe Supremo ▲Nescafe Cold Brew ▲Nescafe Origins ▲Nescafe Crema ▲Nestea Iced Tea, and the event will continue until the giveaway items run out.

Maeil Dairies is holding the ‘Summer Homecance Summer Items Clearance Sale’ on its Naver brand store. This event offers home meal replacements and refreshing drinks for the growing ‘homecance’ group due to COVID-19, at discounts of up to 70% off market prices. Featured products include Maeil Dairies’ flagship coffee product Barista Rules, two types of Selex Sports, three types each of Sangha Farm Slow Kitchen curry and pasta sauces, Sunup fruit juices, and soy milk.

Customers who purchase three types of Sangha Farm Slow Kitchen pasta sauces will receive premium Turkish pasta, Arbella Spaghetti, and those who buy Barista Rules cup coffee will get a photo card of singer Lim Youngwoong. The event will continue until the prepared stock is depleted.

OB Beer recently launched the ‘Feel Good Jam Box’ reflecting the recent ‘homecance’ trend, allowing customers to enjoy Feel Good beer and games at home. The ‘Feel Good Jam Box’ consists of 48 cans of Feel Good (500ml) and a game mat for playing Twister. By scanning the QR code printed on the game mat with a smartphone, users are directed to a landing page where they can spin a roulette for Twister game rules. The game mat, featuring the signature whale character ‘Pilgu’ on a sky-blue background representing Feel Good, can also be used for home training such as stretching and yoga. The ‘Feel Good Jam Box’ is sold in limited quantities at Homeplus warehouse stores nationwide until stocks last.

Coca-Cola is running a ‘Coca-Cola Limited Edition Goods’ giveaway event until the 31st. The event can be participated in through Coca-Cola’s mobile application ‘Co-K Play’ app. Participants can choose one of three themes?‘Home Cinema,’ ‘Picnic,’ or ‘Camping’?to enter via the app. During the event period, a total of 450 winners (150 per theme: 50 first prize, 100 second prize) will be selected weekly by lottery to receive specially produced limited edition Coca-Cola goods. Notably, the first prize for the ‘Home Cinema’ theme includes a beam projector, Bang & Olufsen Bluetooth speaker, sandwich maker, and two Coca-Cola cushions, capturing the attention of the ‘homecance’ group.

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