Retail Sector Sees Surge in Lunar New Year Gift Sets Sales... Key Factor: 'Fast Delivery'

Department Store Industry Offers Same-Day Delivery Until Just Before Holidays
Coupang and SSG.com Continue Delivery During Holidays
Lotte Department Store: "25% of Total Gift Set Sales Occur in the Last Four Days"

With the Lunar New Year holiday just four days away, the retail industry is focusing on last-minute gift set sales by emphasizing 'fast delivery.'

According to the retail industry on the 5th, major department stores offer next-day or same-day delivery services for gift sets until just before the Lunar New Year holiday. Lotte Department Store, operated by Lotte Shopping, runs a special holiday 'Baro Delivery' service at all branches in the metropolitan area until the 8th, the day before the holiday begins. Baro Delivery is available for purchases of holiday gift sets over 70,000 KRW and delivers within 3 hours within a 5 km radius of the purchase store.

On the 29th, ahead of the major national holiday Seollal, Spam gift sets, which have become one of the practical holiday gifts, are displayed at Hanaro Mart Yangjae Branch in Seocho-gu, Seoul. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

Hyundai Department Store provides same-day delivery service at some branches until the first day of the Lunar New Year holiday on the 9th. This service is available to customers within a 5 km radius of Hyundai Department Store branches, and orders placed by 5 p.m. qualify for same-day delivery. If the purchase amount for gift sets is over 50,000 KRW, delivery is free; otherwise, a delivery fee of 5,000 KRW applies.

The e-commerce sector is also emphasizing that gift sets can be delivered until just before the Lunar New Year holiday through fast delivery. Gmarket is running the 'Gmarket Delivers Today' promotion until the 9th, offering discounts on same-day and dawn delivery products, including gift sets. Through the online grocery shopping service 'Smile Fresh,' customers can receive gift sets and groceries delivered at dawn or at a specified time. 11st also offers delivery of holiday gift sets, groceries, and ritual items through 'Shooting Delivery' for orders placed by the 7th, with delivery by the 8th. Hanaro Mart, operated by Nonghyup Distribution, provides same-day delivery of gift sets through its online shopping mall e-Hanaro Mart until the 9th.

Even if you haven't prepared gift sets before the Lunar New Year holiday begins, there is no problem. Some places offer delivery of gift sets even during the holiday period. Coupang, which has its own logistics network, operates its delivery service 'Rocket Delivery' normally during the holiday. Accordingly, gift sets and livestock products directly purchased and sold by Coupang can be delivered the next day or at dawn. SSG.com, the online mall of Shinsegae Group, also delivers during the holiday period in some areas, excluding the holiday day itself (the 10th).

The gift sets mainly sold through delivery services in the retail industry are livestock products such as Korean beef and fruit gift sets. These products are generally bulky and heavy, and proper temperature storage is important. For Lotte Department Store, Korean beef and fruit gift sets such as the 'Royal Hanwoo Steak GIFT' ranked among the most popular products in the delivery service.

Considering that the holiday is approaching, some stores are targeting customers who visit in person to buy gifts directly. E-Mart and Traders offer discounts on gift sets such as fruits that can be carried by hand during the remaining gift set sales period. These products are called 'hand carry,' referring to small quantities that are frequently carried directly. E-Mart presents hand carry products such as Redhyang, Cheonhyehyang fruits, wine, and red ginseng gift sets. Lotte Department Store also offers hand carry gift sets composed of small portions of Korean beef, dried persimmons, cookies, and more.

The industry's last-minute push to attract customers is because demand for gift sets significantly increases just before the holiday. According to an analysis by Lotte Department Store of holiday gift set sales over the past five years (2019?2023), 25% of total gift set sales were concentrated in the last four days. At E-Mart as well, fruit gift sets such as Cheonhyehyang and Redhyang recorded top sales rankings daily starting five days before last year's Lunar New Year holiday.

Regarding this, a Lotte Department Store official explained, "Generally, online courier services stop accepting delivery requests 4 to 5 days before the holiday," adding, "This seems to reflect the demand from customers who miss the online purchase period or who want to buy close to the holiday."

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