Lotte Confectionery Pepero, National Snack Reputation... Word of Mouth in China and the Middle East

[Asia Economy Reporter Eunmo Koo] Lotte Confectionery's Pepero, which marks its 39th year since launch this year, is expanding its sales territory beyond Korea to overseas markets.

Pepero is one of Lotte Confectionery's flagship products, having sold approximately 1.8 trillion KRW worth since its launch in 1983 until last year. This amount corresponds to about 3.4 billion boxes of "Choco Pepero," meaning that every Korean has eaten about 66 boxes. In particular, Pepero Day, which started in 1995, had a decisive impact on expanding Pepero sales. Pepero's cumulative sales for the 13 years from launch until 1995 were about 163 billion KRW, but sales over the following 25 years until last year reached approximately 1.6 trillion KRW.

Exports have also steadily increased. Pepero's export value, which was around 20 million USD in 2013, rose to 30 million USD in 2014, 40 million USD in 2015, and about 50 million USD last year, maintaining an upward trend each year. As Pepero Day's recognition grew in China, Lotte Confectionery printed photos of EXO-K on Pepero packaging to sell commemorative products for Pepero Day, and this year, Pepero Day television commercials are also being aired in Kazakhstan.

To give back to consumers' love, Lotte Confectionery is carrying out social contribution activities such as the "Sweet Home" project, which uses Pepero sales proceeds to build children's centers in rural areas lacking play and learning spaces, so that children can spend their after-school time in safe and comfortable environments.

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