On Days with High Fine Dust, Card Data Shows... Convenience Store Sales by the Hangang River Plummet

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Yu Je-hoon] On days when fine dust concentration reached a 'bad' level, sales at convenience stores near the Han River and Yeouido, as well as in outdoor leisure and entertainment service sectors, showed a significant decline.

KB Kookmin Card announced on the 30th that it analyzed offline merchant sales in Seoul according to fine dust concentration using personal credit and check card sales data and public fine dust data over the past four years (2019?2022), revealing these findings.

According to KB Kookmin Card, looking at the change in the number of sales transactions in the leisure and entertainment service sectors on days with 'bad' fine dust levels from January to May over the past four years, weekday and weekend sales transactions for outdoor leisure and entertainment services decreased by 9% and 1%, respectively, in 2019. Furthermore, during the COVID-19 period in 2021, weekend sales decreased by 12%, and in 2022, weekend sales dropped by 22%, showing a larger decline compared to pre-COVID-19.

Additionally, on days with 'bad' fine dust in 2019, indoor leisure and entertainment service sector sales decreased by 4% on weekdays, while weekend sales increased by 2% (5% increase for movie theaters, art galleries, and performance halls; 3% increase for board game cafes, billiard halls, and bowling alleys). In contrast, during the peak COVID-19 years of 2021?2022, weekend sales in indoor leisure and entertainment services decreased by 13% and 9%, respectively.

Convenience store sales in areas frequently visited by citizens as resting spots, such as along the Han River and Yeouido, were also significantly affected by fine dust. Examining the change in the number of sales transactions at convenience stores in Han River park areas from January to May over the past four years on days with 'bad' fine dust, sales transactions decreased by 16% in 2019 (Yeouido 26%, Jamsil 10%, Banpo 6%), with weekday sales down 25% and weekend sales down 17%. During the COVID-19 period in 2021, sales decreased by 11% (Yeouido 11%, Jamsil 20%, Banpo 14%), with weekend sales down 18%.

Moreover, analyzing sales transaction changes by time of day, the largest sales decline in 2019 before the COVID-19 outbreak occurred between 3 PM and 6 PM, with a 25% decrease (36% on weekdays, 28% on weekends). In contrast, sales declines after 6 PM were 11% (26% on weekdays, 2% on weekends), showing a lower rate of decline compared to daytime hours. Similarly, in 2021?2022, sales declines during nighttime hours were less severe than during daytime hours.

A representative from KB Kookmin Card’s Data Strategy Group stated, "By utilizing card sales data, public data, and unstructured data such as SNS, we were able to analyze customer consumption patterns more deeply regarding phenomena affecting citizens' daily lives. We plan to conduct meaningful analyses on consumer behavior on various topics in the future."

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