Increase in 'Homchujok'... Chuseok Consumption Trends Also Change

Two Burgundy Grand Cru collection items exclusively presented in Korea at Shinsegae Department Store Gangnam branch (Photo by Shinsegae Department Store).

[Asia Economy Reporter Yuri Kim] Amid the trend of 'Homechu' (spending Chuseok at home) where people refrain from traveling to their hometowns and spend the holiday with family at home, demand for gift sets containing seasonal foods such as Shine Muscat grapes and melons is increasing, and popular restaurant meal sets enjoyed at home are also gaining popularity. These are even surpassing the sales performance of traditional holiday gift items like dried yellow corvina, apples, and pears.

Shinsegae Department Store announced on the 8th that from the 13th of last month to the 6th of this month, the top growth categories in Chuseok gift set sales included wine (51.5%), steak (20.0%), and apple mango & Shine Muscat sets (27.0%). All of these recorded double-digit growth rates, far exceeding the sales of traditional holiday categories such as dried yellow corvina (9.7%), overall livestock products (6.6%), and overall fresh produce (4.7%).

The sales proportion is also increasing every year. In the case of wine, the Homechu trend of spending holidays at home firmly took hold last Chuseok with a high growth rate of 60.1%. Notably, the sales proportion accounted for 11.3% of total gift set sales, surpassing dried yellow corvina's 6.2% sales share for the first time. Steak gift sets and seasonal fruits like apple mango and Shine Muscat also showed sales proportions in the high teens within the meat and fresh produce categories until Chuseok 2019, but during last year's Lunar New Year, they recorded sales proportions in the 20% range for the first time.

This Chuseok as well, they continue to be popular, accounting for over 30% of total meat and fresh produce gift set sales. In particular, the sales proportion of steak has surpassed that of Korean beef bulgogi and soup cuts, enjoying popularity comparable to grilling gift sets.

With the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic leading to a sustained trend of spending holidays at home, the popularity of gift sets collaborating with famous restaurants and wines that pair well with beef is expected to continue. Shinsegae Department Store stated, "We have tripled the number of popular restaurant collaboration products compared to last year and are offering various products targeting the 'Homechu' group, such as individually packaged steak cuts from directly sourced Korean beef."

Shinsegae's restaurant collaboration products include 'Utender' and 'Seolloin' in Apgujeong-dong, and 'Uga' in Cheongdam-dong. This Chuseok, they newly launched a gift set from 'R Gogi,' a representative premium Korean beef restaurant in Cheongdam-dong. Premium wine products such as Burgundy wines are also newly introduced. Shinsegae plans to captivate wine enthusiasts by showcasing about 500 varieties of Burgundy wines, the largest selection in Korea, at 'Burgundy&,' the first Burgundy wine specialty store launched by Shinsegae in the industry.

Major department stores such as Lotte Department Store and Hyundai Department Store are expanding and diversifying their product assortments to meet the growing demand for non-face-to-face gifts. Lotte Department Store is holding a main Chuseok gift set sales event at all stores until the 19th. They will present about 1,000 products, strengthening unique items and popular products from last Lunar New Year.

In the meat and fresh produce categories, they have secured rare items produced only in limited quantities domestically and prepared exclusive gifts available only at Lotte Department Store through collaborations with master artisans and villages nationwide. Trendy health gift sets for the MZ generation (Millennials + Generation Z) are also being sold. These include the 'Super Matcha Tea Ceremony Kit Set' created in collaboration with the cafe 'Super Matcha' and the 'Granola & Greek Yogurt Set,' which is popular among influencers.

They also carefully select and present high-priced premium products produced in extremely limited quantities worldwide. The representative product, the 'North Atlantic Bluefin Tuna Premium Set' (2kg), is a natural product from Iceland, accounting for 0.4% of the world's bluefin tuna catch, and will be sold in a limited quantity of 10 sets. The 'Petrus Old Vintage Collection' wine, with an annual production of only 15,000 bottles and high collectible value, will be sold in limited quantities of three bottles each according to production years (1979, 1984, 2003, 2004).

Hyundai Department Store is also conducting the main Chuseok gift set sales event until the 20th at all store food halls and online malls such as The Hyundai.com, Hyundai Food Hall To Home, and Hyundai H Mall. Hyundai Department Store has prepared about 1,000 gift set items, expanding the total number of gift set items by about 20% compared to last year. The volume of online-exclusive gift sets priced between 50,000 and 200,000 KRW has tripled compared to last year. Premium Korean beef will be offered in the largest quantity ever, about 65,000 sets. The volume of mixed fruit gift sets composed of apples, pears, Shine Muscat grapes, and mangoes has also increased by 50% compared to last year.

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