Large Supermarkets Prepare for 'Contactless Holidays'... Increasing Premium Gift Sets and Strengthening Contactless Measures

[Asia Economy Reporter Seungjin Lee] The retail industry, which experienced sluggish sales throughout the year due to the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), has early launched pre-orders for Lunar New Year gift sets. With social distancing level 3, including recent bans on gatherings of five or more people, being considered, the upcoming Lunar New Year is likely to be a 'contactless holiday,' and the retail industry plans to focus on targeting contactless demand.

'Contactless Holiday,' Heavy Hearts... Expansion of Premium Gifts

According to the retail industry on the 26th, the three major discount stores simultaneously started pre-orders for Lunar New Year gift sets. The proportion of pre-orders for gift sets during last Chuseok exceeded 50% for the first time due to the impact of COVID-19, leading to an expansion of pre-order product offerings. Especially, as it became difficult to meet face-to-face during the holiday, more customers sought to convey their feelings with high-priced gifts, so the variety of premium gift sets was increased.

In fact, during the pre-order period for Chuseok gift sets, Emart saw a 33.9% increase in sales of gift sets priced over 100,000 won. Sales of premium gift sets priced over 200,000 won grew by 41.9%, proving the strength of premium sets. Accordingly, Emart increased the proportion of premium products in its Lunar New Year gift sets.

Lotte Mart increased the proportion of health-related gift sets and premium gift sets priced over 100,000 won by 10% compared to last Lunar New Year, in response to the COVID-19 situation. They also offer limited quantities of premium products such as top-grade eco-friendly Korean beef sets and fruit sets containing Shine Muscat grapes, apples, pears, and Hallabong oranges all at once. They present 'Sanjittuksim' sets, which are products with producer real-name labeling, and sets made with agricultural products certified by the Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) system.

Homeplus started pre-orders for Korean beef gift sets on the 17th, with sales increasing by more than 48% compared to last Chuseok, and customers seeking premium gift sets have been coming early, leading to an expansion of related products. Homeplus has added three types of 'Luxury Myungseon Beef Gift Sets' to broaden consumer choices.

Capturing Contactless Demand

The three major discount stores have all mobilized their online channels to launch pre-orders for Lunar New Year gift sets. In particular, they strengthened contactless services so that gifts can be purchased in various ways without visiting stores, and gift receipt can also be done contactlessly according to time and place.

Emart is expanding its 'phone order service' to all Emart stores. This service allows customers to order products by phone from home, and store staff visit the customer directly for consultation and payment. The 'Emart website bulk registration service for delivery addresses,' first introduced last Chuseok, will also continue. Shinsegae Department Store and Emart accept gift set reservations through stores while offering about 17,000 types of gift sets through SSG.com, focusing on contactless gift purchase demand.

It is also possible to check estimates through the Emart app's 'Easy Gift Set Purchase Service.' By selecting gift sets and entering quantities, customers can see discount amounts and the final purchase price. Afterwards, they can receive a barcode and make payment immediately at Emart stores without waiting.

Lotte Mart is also conducting pre-orders for Lunar New Year gift sets through offline stores and Lotte On until February 1 next year. The quantity of online-exclusive gift sets sold on the online mall Lotte Mart Mall has increased by about 10% compared to last year. Homeplus will offer a total of about 530 products through pre-orders, a 20% increase compared to last year.

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