"Need to Get a Massage Chair" Filial Piety Appliances Soar as Chuseok Approaches

Sales of Massage Chairs Increase at Three Major Department Stores Ahead of Chuseok
Familiarity with Smart Devices... Skin Care Devices and Wearables Also Up

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeon Jinyoung] Ahead of the traditional Korean holiday Chuseok, sales of filial piety home appliances such as massage chairs have shown an upward trend. In particular, as the parent generation becomes more familiar with using smart devices, sales of skin care devices and wearable devices have also increased.

According to Lotte Department Store on the 8th, during the main sales period for Chuseok gifts from the 19th of last month to the 5th of this month, sales of massage chairs increased by 60% compared to the same period last year. At Hyundai Department Store, which offered various electronic devices as Chuseok gifts, sales of wearable devices such as smartwatches, smart bands, and wireless earphones increased by 48.1% compared to the same period last year during the Chuseok pre-order sales from the 1st to the 29th of last month.

Massage chairs increased by 22.7% during the same period, and sales of beauty devices such as lifting devices and LED masks jumped 59.6% compared to last year. Shinsegae Department Store also saw health and beauty device sales increase by 25.3% compared to the previous year during the Chuseok gift pre-order sales period from August 1st to September 6th.

Electronics specialty stores showed a similar trend. Lotte Hi-Mart’s sales of massage chairs in August increased by 20% compared to last year. At Electron Land, sales of beauty care devices from January to June grew by 56% compared to the same period last year.

Online, the growth of filial piety home appliances was even more pronounced. According to 11st, analyzing the sales growth rate of home appliances from the 29th of last month to the 4th of this month, when Chuseok product purchases were active, smartwatches increased by 227%, skin care devices by 76%, air fryers by 124%, and dryers by 36% compared to the same period last year.

An industry official said, “As the parent generation becomes more familiar with smart devices, the category of filial piety home appliances has diversified to include smartwatches and beauty home care devices,” adding, “The industry is also expanding the range of home appliances included in the holiday gift category.”

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