"100,000~200,000 Won Range Products Popular" ... Emart, Record High Reservations for Seol Gift Sets

Emart and SSG.com Gift Set Pre-Order Sales Up 53% and 97%
Impact of Relaxed Agricultural and Livestock Gift Limits Amid Growing Contactless Holidays

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] Emart announced on the 31st that pre-order sales for Lunar New Year gift sets reached an all-time high this year as sales of premium gift sets increased.

According to Emart and SSG.com, sales during the Lunar New Year gift set pre-order period from the 24th of last month to the 28th of this month increased by 53.0% and 97.1%, respectively, compared to last year's pre-order period (December 5, 2019 to January 9, 2020). This is the highest ever recorded during the Lunar New Year pre-order period.

In particular, sales of premium gift sets priced over 200,000 KRW at Emart increased by 79.8% compared to the same period last year, and SSG.com also led overall gift set sales growth with a 212.8% increase in sets priced over 200,000 KRW.

This is interpreted as a result of the spread of a non-face-to-face holiday atmosphere due to COVID-19, which increased demand for sending relatively expensive gifts instead of meeting parents or relatives in person. There is also an interpretation that the reduced travel expenses for returning home were reflected in the cost of gifts.

Emart explained, "This Lunar New Year, premium gift sets are expected to sell well, so we prepared about 20% more 200,000 to 300,000 KRW gulbi (dried yellow corvina) sets than last year’s Lunar New Year, and about 30% more over 300,000 KRW Hanwoo (Korean beef) gift sets."

The government raised the gift value limit under the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act (Kim Young-ran Act) to 200,000 KRW only for agricultural, fishery, and livestock products, which also made fresh sets priced between 100,000 and 200,000 KRW popular. Sales of Emart’s vegetable sets such as ginseng and deodeok increased by 678.8% compared to the previous year, beef sets increased by 25.9%, and seafood sets such as gulbi recorded a high growth rate of 92.1%.

At SSG.com, fruit sets priced between 100,000 and 200,000 KRW grew by 253%, seafood sets by 212.6%, and meat sets by 277.8% compared to the previous year.

Choi Hoon-hak, Emart’s marketing manager, said, "With strong sales of premium sets and the relaxation of gift limits for agricultural, fishery, and livestock products, pre-order gift set sales have greatly increased, and this trend is expected to continue during the main sales period of gift sets in the untact Lunar New Year culture. We will present high-quality gift sets that many customers can be satisfied with."

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