"Sold Out 5,500 Sets in 65 Minutes"... Home Shopping Industry Courting Tzuyang and Park Makrye

Influencers Tzyang, Hong Jin-kyung, and Park Makrye Enter Home Shopping
Declining Home Shopping Market... Vital to Attract Young Customers

The home shopping industry is teaming up with influencers such as celebrities and YouTubers to attract younger customers who were not familiar with home shopping.

YouTubers Tzuyang (left), Park Makrye (right) [Source=Lotte Home Shopping, GS Shop]

According to the distribution industry on the 10th, Lotte Home Shopping partnered with the 9 million-subscriber YouTuber 'Tzuyang' on the 1st to showcase mukbangs linking TV home shopping and YouTube, exclusively launching hamburger steaks that sold out 5,500 sets in just 65 minutes.

Lotte Homeshopping partnered with the YouTuber 'Tzuyang,' who has 9 million subscribers, to present a mukbang linking TV home shopping and YouTube, exclusively launching hamburger steak. As a result, 5,500 sets sold out within 65 minutes.
[Photo by Lotte Homeshopping]

On that day, 'Tzuyang' appeared on TV home shopping for the first time and sold the home meal replacement 'Tzuyang Galbi Hamburger Steak,' made with the recipe from her restaurant 'Original Tzuyang Donkatsu.'

The sellout was expected. More than 2,000 sets were ordered even before the broadcast, and the 5,500 sets prepared on the launch day sold out in 65 minutes.

The number of participants in the real-time chat 'Baro TV Talk' also increased more than threefold compared to general food broadcasts. Among all purchasing customers, those in their 30s and 40s accounted for 40%, showing a rapid influx of younger customers. In particular, the broadcast was simultaneously streamed on Lotte Home Shopping’s sales channels including TV and mobile, as well as on Tzuyang’s official YouTube channel.

Broadcaster Hong Jin-kyung, also famous as a kimchi entrepreneur, appears on CJ OnStyle selling kimchi.
[Photo by CJ OnStyle]

Singer and entertainer Hong Jin-young also appeared on Lotte Home Shopping last month to newly introduce the beauty brand 'Chic Blanco.' Hong Jin-kyung personally appeared on the home shopping broadcast last month to demonstrate the 'Full Cover Up C Balm Pact' product, achieving a remarkable 130% sales rate exceeding sellout during the launch broadcast.

Following this, CJ OnStyle introduced 'Hong Jin-kyung The Kimchi' through the 'Choi Hwajung Show' at the end of July. The product became a hot topic by achieving the highest sales volume ever in the kimchi category. 13,000 sets were sold within an hour, reaching an order amount close to 1 billion KRW. CJ OnStyle analyzed that actively utilizing the 'Choi Hwajung Show' IP to maximize pre-orders through Instagram short-form videos and YouTube content before the broadcast, as well as showcasing differentiated content such as the genuine friendship chemistry and witty talk between Choi Hwajung and Hong Jin-kyung during the live broadcast, was effective.

GS Shop introduced Park Makrye soy sauce marinated crab and seasoned crab through TV home shopping on the 21st of last month.
[Photo by GS Shop]

GS Shop partnered with Park Makrye Grandma, who has 1.2 million subscribers, to launch a crab marinated product on TV home shopping. Along with the broadcast, Park Makrye’s soy sauce marinated crab and seasoned crab sold out.

Park Makrye Grandma introduced her soy sauce marinated crab recipe in early January 2020 with the video 'Making Park Makrye Soy Sauce Marinated Crab.' The video has received a good response with about 3.48 million views and over 1,850 comments to date, and the soy sauce marinated crab made with this recipe was introduced on home shopping.

Park Makrye Grandma explained the background of the launch, saying, "When I posted the soy sauce marinated crab I made for you all, you went crazy asking for just one bite. You never tried making it because it was difficult, right? So, since you didn’t make it, I made it and put it out there."

Declining Home Shopping Market Size... Also Growing Own 'Influencers'

Lotte Homeshopping has launched a unique live commerce called 'Kkuk Shopping,' where young creators sell products.
[Photo by Lotte Homeshopping]

The home shopping industry’s numerous collaborations with celebrities and YouTubers are interpreted as efforts to overcome the 'sense of crisis' sweeping the entire industry.

According to the industry, the size of the Korean home shopping market shrank by 9.4%, from 16.27 trillion KRW in 2020 to 14.746 trillion KRW. This year, it is expected to decrease further to 14.451 trillion KRW, and next year to 14.307 trillion KRW.

Sales declines among home shopping companies are also notable. Lotte Home Shopping, Hyundai Home Shopping, and CJ OnStyle saw their third-quarter sales drop by 14.3%, 7.4%, and 2.9%, respectively. Lotte Home Shopping’s cumulative sales for the third quarter were 682 billion KRW, down 15.2% compared to the same period last year, resulting in an operating loss of 2 billion KRW.

Meanwhile, some home shopping companies are cultivating their own 'influencers' to overcome the crisis. Lotte Home Shopping’s 'Kkukk Shopping' is a representative example. 'Kkukk Shopping' is a mobile live broadcast program where young creators who have completed Lotte Home Shopping’s talent development program 'Win-Win Jobs' appear to sell products in various fields such as fashion, beauty, lifestyle, and home appliances.

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