This Chuseok, Just the Atmosphere... Even Beginner Housewives Whip Up Easy Meals Quickly

Homeplus, Refrigerated Ready Meals Online Sales Up 159%
Online Gmarket and Auction Also 'Flying Off the Shelves'
Convenience Stores Targeting 2030 'Honchu-jok'

[Asia Economy Reporter Cha Min-young] #. Han Yujin (pseudonym), a newlywed in her 30s living in Seoul, decided to have a simple ancestral rite at home with her husband instead of traveling home for this Chuseok. Last year around this time, she visited both her in-laws and her parents' house, but this year, due to growing concerns about COVID-19 in the metropolitan area, her parents-in-law suggested that they not visit first. Therefore, instead of preparing complicated dishes, they plan to create the atmosphere by purchasing frozen galbitang (beef short rib soup) and songpyeon (rice cakes) and take a rest.

This Chuseok, as more people give up traveling home due to COVID-19 concerns, the traditional holiday dining scene has changed completely. Large supermarkets, e-commerce, and convenience store industries, targeting the demand for holiday ready meals, are releasing higher-quality products compared to previous years, promising a more abundant dining table.

Holiday Preparation Completed with Ready Meals

According to Homeplus on the 21st, from the 1st to the 8th of this month, online sales of refrigerated ready meals increased by 83% compared to the same period last month and by 159% compared to the same period last year. This is analyzed as an increase in ready meal purchases at home rather than fresh food consumption for preparing ancestral rites tables.

Ready meals are also popular online. On Gmarket and Auction, from the 11th to the 17th, sales of home meal replacements increased by about 50% compared to the same Chuseok period last year. Instant stir-fried dishes (110%) and stews and braised dishes (113%) doubled, and instant soups grew by 63%. Inari sushi and gimbap showed a growth rate of 216%, nearly tripling, followed by cup rice at 91%, military rations at 32%, and instant rice at 25%.

This sharp increase in demand for ready meals is closely related to the growing number of people giving up traveling home for Chuseok. According to a recent survey conducted on office workers by a job search site, about 60% of respondents said they do not plan to travel home this Chuseok, which is about 20 percentage points higher than last year.

Additionally, the number of young 'honchujok' (people spending Chuseok alone) who do not visit their hometowns and spend the holiday individually is also increasing. In fact, convenience store CU analyzed lunchbox sales proportions by age group during the Chuseok holiday over the past three years, showing that the 20s and 30s age group accounted for 41.6% in 2017, 47.6% in 2018, and 58.7% in 2019.

Flood of Products from Large Supermarkets, Online, and Convenience Stores

Reflecting this holiday demand, Gmarket and Auction are holding the '2020 Hangawi Big Sale' until the 27th. They offer major holiday products, including processed foods, at discounts of up to 70%. Depending on the amount spent, customers can receive discount coupons of up to 50,000 KRW daily. All products eligible for the Hangawi Big Sale on Gmarket and Auction are applicable for coupons. They also offer Smile Pay 10% instant discounts and Smile Card 7% billing discounts.

Homeplus is running the 'Signature Ready Meal Promotion' until the 1st of next month, offering discounts on premium private brand (PB) 'Homeplus Signature' ready meal products. The promotion covers about 50 Homeplus Signature items, providing a 10% discount when purchasing two or more. Representative items include mung bean pancakes, pollack pancakes, omisanjeok (five-flavored skewers), perilla leaf pancakes, chili pepper pancakes, sweet pumpkin fritters, and squid fritters. They also offer donggeurangttaeng (Korean meat patties), tteokgalbi (grilled short rib patties), Korean beef bone broth, beef short rib soup, spicy braised chicken, and Andong-style steamed chicken.

Convenience store CU is selling six types of holiday foods, including Hangawi lunchboxes, for a limited time during Chuseok. The representative product, 'Luxury Hangawi Set Meal,' is composed so that customers can wrap beef bulgogi with Gamtae, a specialty seaweed from Seosan. It includes tteokgalbi, pollack pancakes, seafood chive pancakes, and omisanjeok served with stir-fried kimchi and seasoned bean sprouts. Customers who purchase this lunchbox receive a complimentary Pepsi Cola or Chilsung Cider. They also offer assorted pancakes, traditional japchae, royal bulgogi, shrimp tempura rolls, and traditional yakbap (sweet rice dessert).

Jo Sung-wook, head of the ready meal team at BGF Retail, explained, "We expect more 'honchujok' than usual to visit convenience stores during the holiday period. We focused on expanding the variety of Chuseok ready meals and enhancing product competitiveness." Yang Jae-do, team leader of Mart Beauty at eBay Korea, noted, "Since non-face-to-face Chuseok gatherings are being recommended and many have chosen to stay home to prevent virus spread, it seems many have given up traveling home." Neil Maffy, head of product strategy at Homeplus, also analyzed, "This Chuseok, customers noticeably prefer spending the holiday at home rather than traveling and are seeking ready meals."

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