Shinsegae Department Store Launches Gift Sets for 'Homechu-jok' Enjoying Chuseok Alone

The picnic hamper of 'Fortnum & Mason' (basket). It is composed of the signature biscuits along with the black tea 'Royal Blend'. (Photo by Shinsegae Department Store)

[Asia Economy Reporter Seungjin Lee] Shinsegae Department Store is offering a variety of gift sets for so-called ‘Homechujok,’ those who enjoy Chuseok alone.

Shinsegae announced on the 10th that due to the impact of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), this Chuseok is expected to see reduced interregional movement and increased staying at home, so they have increased Chuseok products that can be enjoyed at home by 20% compared to last year.

First, they are introducing the ‘Sihwadang Holiday Table Setting Set’ for 250,000 KRW, which allows customers to easily prepare a holiday table without purchasing separate ingredients. It is a cost-effective ancestral rite product consisting of assorted jeon (Korean pancakes), LA galbi, japchae, assorted namul (seasoned vegetables), and more, which usually require a lot of effort to make.

Additionally, for customers spending the holiday alone, a single-serving holiday lunchbox is sold for 35,000 KRW. It is prepared so that those spending Chuseok alone can enjoy holiday food in a fulfilling way.

With the spread of home cafe and home drinking trends, related products have also appeared as Chuseok gifts. Due to social distancing level 2.5 restricting dining inside franchise cafes in the metropolitan area, home cafe-related products are gaining popularity.

In particular, demand for coffee machines that can be brewed at home is growing by double digits. Accordingly, the representative product for this Chuseok is the De’Longhi fully automatic coffee machine, sold for 840,000 KRW.

Also, the picnic hamper offered by ‘Fortnum & Mason’ includes the black tea ‘Royal Blend’ along with signature biscuits, allowing customers to set up a splendid tea table comparable to a cafe.

Furthermore, this Chuseok, with fewer family gatherings expected, solo drinking and home drinking are anticipated to increase significantly, and related products have been expanded. During the pre-order period starting from the 24th of last month, the quantity of wine was increased by nearly 30% compared to last year to meet customer demand for wine gifts, and sales also increased by 20%.

This Chuseok, they have prepared various types of wine gift sets suitable for enjoying gourmet experiences at home, including luxury sweet wines such as Tokaji, port wine, and ice wine.

For aromatherapy products to provide comfort to tired bodies and minds, diffuser and candle sets have also been prepared. They are introducing Chosun Hotel diffusers and Byredo bathroom fragrance candles.

Kim Youngseop, Head of Product Division at Shinsegae Department Store, said, “This Chuseok, even if customers spend the holiday alone at home, we gathered various products in one place so they can spend it not boringly but meaningfully,” adding, “We will continue to do our best to expand customers’ choices with differentiated product compositions.”

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