"Today a Mart, Tomorrow a Restaurant" Convenience Stores Expand Delivery and Pickup Services

Rapid Growth Based on Nearby Stores
Higher Sales on Weekends and Rainy Days

Emart24 Delivery Service.

In the COVID-19 era, convenience stores have taken on the roles of neighborhood marts and restaurants, leading to an increase in the use of delivery and pickup services.

According to the industry on the 8th, Emart24's delivery service usage last month increased by 37% compared to the previous month. Delivery usage increased by 30% in the third quarter of last year compared to the previous quarter, and by 44% in the fourth quarter. Sales were especially high on weekends and rainy days. In the second half of last year, Sundays (20.1%) and Saturdays (17.8%) accounted for about 40% (37.9%) of total weekly sales. On rainy days (July to August 2021, Seoul 기준), sales were more than 40% higher than the average on clear days.

GS25 also saw delivery order sales increase by 84.6% in the second half of last year compared to the first half. The sales growth rates were particularly notable in July (46.7%) and December (13.6%) of last year, when COVID-19 related quarantine measures were strengthened. CU's delivery service usage also increased by 65.1% last year compared to the previous year.

Pickup services are also popular. Emart24's 'ePickup' usage last month increased by 36% compared to the previous month. The ePickup service allows customers to pre-order through the 'Yogiyo' application (app) and then visit the store to pick up their orders.

An industry official said, "Although the online market such as e-commerce has grown, the convenience store industry is expected to continue growing through strengthening services like delivery and pickup based on nearby stores." As of the end of last year, the number of stores of the three major convenience store chains was 42,277, an increase of about 5.8% compared to the previous year (39,962 stores). The average monthly sales per store increased by 2.9%.

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