HMR Driver 'Meal Kit'... SSG.com Category Sales Up 450% Year-on-Year

[Asia Economy Reporter Cha Min-young] Meal kits, which come with prepped ingredients and seasonings, are playing a driving role in the rapidly growing home meal replacement (HMR) market.

SSG.com announced on the 5th that its analysis of meal kit sales from January to July this year showed a 450% increase compared to the same period last year, marking the highest growth rate among HMR product categories. Last year, sales also rose by 440% compared to the previous year, which is about four times faster growth than other HMR products.

The most popular product is ‘My Chef’s’ ‘Beef Mille-Feuille Nabe,’ which sold about 50,000 units and became a bestseller. The product’s success is attributed to its portion size tailored for 1-2 person households and the ability to enjoy a luxurious hot pot dish at home.

During the same period, ‘Fresh Easy’s’ ‘Black Label Steak’ also recorded sales of about 45,000 units. This product, which includes beef chuck flap tail and accompanying vegetables, has surpassed 5,000 customer reviews and received a satisfaction rating of 4.8 out of 5.

SSG.com currently sells about 240 meal kit products. Approximately 100 meal kits are available for purchase through SSG Delivery and Dawn Delivery services. The menu options are becoming increasingly diverse, allowing customers to choose from Korean, Western, Chinese, and Japanese cuisines. Special menus such as ‘Gambas’ and ‘Fajita’ are popular for housewarming parties, gatherings, and drinking snacks. With technological advancements, dishes like soft tofu stew, pasta, yangjangpi, and soba are increasingly available in meal kit form.

The explosive increase in meal kit demand began last year when online sales became fully active. In the first half of this year, the spread of COVID-19 contributed to the growth, and recently, outdoor activities such as camping and fishing have increased during the vacation season.

Riding this trend, SSG.com plans to add a meal kit category to the ‘Emart Mall’ and ‘Dawn Delivery’ menu sections and significantly expand the variety of products. SSG.com aims to more than double the proportion of meal kit sales by the end of the year. It will also start developing customized new products in collaboration with partners such as Fresh Easy.

Choi Taek-won, Head of Sales at SSG.com, said, "As demand for HMR, including meal kits, has been increasing significantly since last year, we plan to focus on strengthening product competitiveness in the second half of the year," adding, "We will seek differentiation by launching exclusive products in cooperation with Shinsegae Group affiliates."

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