Easing of Social Distancing... Cultural and Leisure Online Consumption Rebounds After 1 Year and 3 Months

Statistics Korea Announces February Online Shopping Trends
Transaction Amount Increases by 15%... Online Shopping Share Decreases

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyunjung] Due to the easing of social distancing measures, the online transaction amount for culture and leisure services rebounded in February for the first time in 1 year and 3 months. As outdoor activities increased, the proportion of online shopping transactions within total retail sales slightly decreased.

According to the 'February Online Shopping Trends' released by Statistics Korea on the 6th, the online shopping transaction amount in February reached 13.7628 trillion KRW, a 15.2% increase compared to one year ago. However, the transaction amount itself slightly decreased by 1.3143 trillion KRW (8.7%) compared to January (15.0771 trillion KRW). Previously, online shopping transaction amounts had recorded over 15 trillion KRW for three consecutive months from November last year to January this year.

The proportion of online shopping transactions within total retail sales was 28.1%, down 1.9 percentage points from January's 30.0%. This is interpreted as the effect of expanded offline activities following the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters' easing of social distancing measures on February 15.

By product category, the online shopping transaction amount for culture and leisure services increased by 16.9% compared to one year ago, marking a rebound for the first time in 1 year and 3 months since November 2019. Although the transaction amount itself was not very large, it is estimated that the number of people booking movies or performances online increased accordingly. Previously, the transaction amount for culture and leisure services had continuously declined year-on-year for 14 consecutive months from December 2019 to January this year, with the decline rate significantly expanding since February last year (-64.1%), consistently recording double-digit decreases.

In the case of travel and transportation services, online transaction amounts decreased by 18.6%, but the decline was significantly smaller compared to the previous month (-68.2%). Additionally, transaction amounts for other food services (64.6%) and food and groceries (29.1%) increased sharply. Due to the Lunar New Year holiday, online shopping transaction amounts for agricultural, livestock, and fishery products also surged by 40.2% compared to one year ago.

Last month, mobile shopping transaction amounts recorded 9.7338 trillion KRW, a 20.2% increase compared to one year ago. The proportion of mobile shopping transactions within online shopping transactions was 70.7%, breaking the all-time high again following last month. For food delivery services, the proportion of mobile transactions within online shopping transactions reached 96.7%.

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