"MZ Generation Captivated"... Lotte Department Store's High-End Audio 'Popular'

On the 27th, a customer is trying out a product in the listening room at the Bang & Olufsen store in the Lotte Department Store main branch, Jung-gu, Seoul.

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Chun-han] As the time spent at home has increased due to COVID-19, interest in high-end audio equipment has been rising.

According to Lotte Department Store on the 27th, sales of high-end audio from January to November grew by 76% compared to the same period last year. In particular, sales among the MZ generation (Millennials + Generation Z) increased by 128% during the same period. The proportion of MZ generation sales in total high-end audio sales also rose by 11 percentage points from the previous year to 42%.

Lotte Department Store has actively entered the high-end audio market. They have expanded listening rooms in stores where customers can directly experience the sound of audio products. For example, at the Bang & Olufsen store in the main branch, customers can try products in a space designed to resemble a home environment. At the Dongtan branch, which is the first standalone store in a domestic department store, Devialet offers a space where all audio products can be freely compared and experienced.

They are also showcasing a variety of world-renowned high-end audio products. At The Conran Shop, a premium lifestyle select shop, they are selling the ‘Radiophonograph RR226 Blue’ by Brionvega, a famous Italian luxury audio brand, in a limited quantity exclusive to Korea.

A Lotte Department Store official said, "Nowadays, not only performance but also emotion has become an important criterion for consumption, so the high-end audio market, which combines both performance and emotion, will continue to grow. We hope that good sound will provide some comfort during these frustrating times spent at home."

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