Prolonged Staying at Home Sparks Online Food Craze... From Easy-to-Prepare Soups to Cakes and Hobang

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Seon-ae] Due to the prolonged stay-at-home lifestyle caused by the impact of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), online food sales are rapidly increasing. In particular, popular items range from soup-based snacks for meals to snacks like cakes and hobang, which have high demand at the end of the year.

According to Gmarket on the 21st, the sales volume of soup-based foods has increased by up to 65% compared to the same period last year over the past month.

First, noodle sales increased by 61% compared to the same period last year. Among them, sales of kalguksu and udon, which are popular in winter, increased by 117% and 81%, respectively. Following that, jjamppong doubled (102%), and ramen, which is popular all year round, also saw a slight increase of 13% compared to last year.

The demand for soup-based foods became even more evident during the past week when the subzero cold intensified and the number of COVID-19 confirmed cases exceeded 1,000. Based on the recent week, noodle sales recorded a 61% growth compared to the same period last year. Kalguksu surged by a whopping 117%, nearly doubling, and udon also showed an 81% increase. Jjamppong, which adds a spicy flavor to hot soup, rose more than threefold (260%), and ramen increased by 55%.

A Gmarket official said, “With the impact of COVID-19 and the arrival of severe cold weather, more consumers are seeking soup-based foods,” adding, “As the severe cold is expected to continue and demand for home-cooked meals rises, sales of convenient soup-related meals and ingredients are expected to reach record highs this winter.”

Cakes, which are most popular in December, are also trending towards non-face-to-face (untact) purchases this year. According to Shinsegae Food, the online-exclusive premium bakery brand ‘Becia Enouveau’ saw cake sales from November to December (November 1 to December 15) increase by 296% compared to the same period last year. Especially, cake sales in December, the peak season for cake sales, rose by as much as 381%.

Shinsegae Food analyzed that this increase is due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, which has led to more consumers avoiding contact with others and showing greater interest in online bakery brands that can be conveniently ordered online and delivered to their homes. In particular, this December, with strengthened social distancing due to COVID-19, the number of consumers sending cakes from online bakery brands as mobile coupons for year-end and New Year greetings and gifts has significantly increased, which is also cited as one of the growth factors.

SPC Samlip’s ‘Samlip Hobang’ sales in October also rose about 10% compared to the same period last year, setting a record high, and recently, due to the impact of COVID-19 and the escalation of social distancing, online channel sales increased by 30% compared to last year. According to an analysis of sales in the homemade snack category on Wemakeprice over the past month, sales of ingredients to make representative winter street snacks at home have greatly increased compared to the same period last year. Among them, sales of ‘Bungeoppang pans’ increased by 105%, ‘Bungeoppang mix’ for dough rose by 88%, and sales of ‘red bean paste’ used as filling for Bungeoppang surged by a staggering 820%.

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