90% of Urban Consumers Have Experience Purchasing Fruits and Other Agricultural Products Online

[Asia Economy Sejong=Reporter Kim Hyewon] A survey revealed that 9 out of 10 consumers living in cities have experience purchasing fresh agricultural products online.

The Rural Development Administration announced on the 27th that, according to a survey of 600 people conducted by a research specialist agency, 90.7% of consumers responded that they had purchased fresh agricultural products online.

Compared to before the outbreak of COVID-19, 61.7% of respondents said their spending on online purchases of fresh agricultural products had "slightly increased" or "greatly increased," while 24.3% said it "remained the same."

The frequency of online purchases of fresh agricultural products was relatively high for fruits and vegetables, while grains and special crops were purchased on a monthly basis. The percentage of respondents who purchased fruits "once a week or more" and "once every two weeks" was 38.8%, and for vegetables, it was 41.8%. For grains and special crops, "once a month or more" was 83.1% and 62.3%, respectively.

Consumers aged 50 and above were more likely to purchase from "open markets and social commerce," while younger age groups reported using "online comprehensive shopping malls and large supermarkets."

When comparing the importance placed on product and service aspects with the actual quality experienced when purchasing fresh agricultural products online, those in their 30s and younger valued "delivery time" the most, while those in their 40s to 60s prioritized "safety." Analysis of satisfaction with online fresh agricultural product purchase experiences showed that satisfaction with "delivery service" was the highest (4.04 points), while satisfaction with "customer support" was relatively low (3.69 points).

Hong Seokyoung, Director of the Rural Environment Resources Division at the Rural Development Administration, stated, "We plan to prepare sales promotion measures for farmers who can actively respond to the expansion of the online market."

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