COVID-19 and Heatwave... Soaring Demand for Beverages, Cooling Clothes, and Air Conditioners

Hot night~ No sleep~
Midnight~Early morning trading increases
Active online and home shopping

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Hye-seon] As the ‘heat dome phenomenon’ accompanied by tropical nights intensifies under the scorching heat, summer products are selling like hotcakes. With the spread of COVID-19 overlapping, more people are staying at home instead of going outside, leading to an increase in ‘online grocery shopping.’ The heatwave has also shifted peak shopping hours to between midnight and 1 a.m.

Rapid Increase in Beverage Sales Amid Continuous Heat

According to convenience store CU on the 23rd, carbonated beverage sales from the 1st to the 20th of this month increased by 27.8% compared to the same period last year. This is an encouraging figure compared to the 10.8% growth rate of tea beverages. The number of customers purchasing ice cups together has also increased, with over one million ice cups sold this month alone. Convenience store 7-Eleven also saw a 25% increase in carbonated beverage sales and a 35% increase in ion drinks. Carbonated and ion beverages are popular summer items, and their sales surge when the average temperature exceeds 24 degrees Celsius. With daily highs ranging from 36 to 37 degrees, demand has significantly increased.

As more people seek carbonated drinks, those choosing low-sugar carbonated beverages for health reasons are also on the rise. According to Lotte Chilsung Beverage, Chilsung Cider Zero is so popular that four bottles are sold every second. Carbonated water with no sweetness at all is similarly popular. Victoria Carbonated Water has been selling 10 million bottles per month since the beginning of this year. Large-size carbonated beverage sales are also growing rapidly at convenience stores. At CU and 7-Eleven, sales of large-size carbonated beverages increased by 35.5% and 21.9%, respectively.

Clothing and Appliances ‘Stay Cool~’

Cooling clothing and air conditioners are also selling like hotcakes. Outdoor brand NEPA announced on the 23rd that sales of its representative cooling product, the Ice Cold series, nearly doubled with an 85% increase compared to the same period last year during the second week of July (12th?18th), when the heatwave began in earnest. This figure is also 20% higher than the previous week’s sales in the first week of July, indicating a sharp rise in demand for cooling material clothing over the past week of extreme heat. Shinsegae International’s lifestyle brand Jaju also saw a 78% increase in sales of its ‘contact cooling series’ over two weeks from the 7th to the 20th compared to the same period last year. Especially, summer bedding sales increased by up to 90%.

Air conditioner sales have also surged significantly due to strengthened social distancing measures leading to more people staying at home. Lotte Hi-Mart reported that air conditioner sales doubled. In particular, more people are purchasing second air conditioners such as window-type air conditioners. Paseco sold 12,000 window-type air conditioners in just three days from the 16th to the 18th. Simply put, one unit was sold every 21 seconds.

Increase in Online Shopping... Early Cutoff for Dawn Delivery

The saying “escape the heat by going to the department store” has now become a thing of the past. As the roads to department stores have become hotter, the use of online grocery shopping services has increased. Market Kurly’s new members increased by 43% from the previous nine days (3rd?11th) during the period from the 12th to the 20th. Order volumes also increased, causing some regions to move up the cutoff time for dawn delivery orders. At SSG.com, sales of ramen and instant rice increased by 17% and 12%, respectively, compared to the same period last month. Home shopping is also benefiting. According to Buzzni, which operates Home Shopping Moa, food purchases on mobile home shopping increased by more than 40%. As demand for bulk food purchases on home shopping increased, seafood sales rose by 136%, and purchases of ready-to-eat meals (63.1%), health foods (44.5%), and fruits (35.6%) surged.

Consumers’ shopping times have also changed. Shopping during the so-called ‘inactive hours’ from midnight to early morning has increased significantly. According to eBay Korea’s Gmarket and Auction, which analyzed purchase transaction amounts by time zone over the past ten days, transaction amounts during inactive hours from midnight to before 9 a.m. increased by 33% compared to the same period last year. Shopping during this time accounted for 19% of total transactions, up 6 percentage points from 13% during the same period last year. Transactions between midnight and 1 a.m. nearly doubled (84%).

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