Shinhan Card: "Running, Beauty, and Mental Care... 'Meconomy' Expands as Spending for Oneself Grows"

Meconomy Trend Drives Surge in Running, Beauty, and Mental Care
Running-Related Searches Up 4.5 Times in Two Years
Spending on Dermatology and Psychiatric Services Also on the Rise

Shinhan Card announced on the 25th that over the past two years, searches for 'running' related keywords have increased approximately 4.5 times, and the 'Meconomy' trend, characterized by increased use of beauty and mental care services, is spreading.

Meconomy refers to a consumer culture in which individuals do not hesitate to spend money to pursue their own tastes and values.

According to an analysis of this year’s Meconomy trend by the Shinhan Card Big Data Research Institute, the number of running-related keyword searches on social networking services (SNS) has increased 4.5 times over the past two years. Until the first half of 2023, 'diet' and 'jogging' were commonly mentioned together with running, but this year, more people are focusing exclusively on running itself.

For example, the number of mentions of 'trail running', a sport that mainly involves running in nature such as mountains or forest paths, increased by 76.2% in the first half of this year compared to the first half of 2023.

During the same period, the number of visits to running specialty stores rose by 203%, and spending at these stores increased by 216%.

By age group, those in their 30s accounted for 44.8% of all visits, nearly half of the total. The growth rate in spending among people in their 30s was also the highest among all age groups at 232%.

An analysis of the gender distribution by number of visits showed that the proportion of female users increased by 5.9 percentage points over the past two years, reaching 43.9%. The ratio rose from 38% in the first half of 2023 to 43.9% in the first half of this year.

According to the research institute, the number of dermatology payments exceeding 1 million won increased by 31.2% over the past two years. Male usage has also risen. Among men in their 30s, usage increased by 73.3% over the same period. This is interpreted as a result of increased spending on services such as hair removal and laser treatments.

The number of people taking care of their mental health has also grown. According to the institute, the number of visits to psychiatric clinics in the first half of this year increased by 11.4% compared to the first half of 2023.

Looking at related search terms for 'psychological counseling' by generation, those in their 20s most frequently searched for 'career' and 'romance', those in their 30s for 'children', 'marriage', and 'work', those in their 40s for 'adolescent psychological counseling', and those aged 50 and above mainly searched for terms related to personal emotions such as 'depression' and 'helplessness'.

A representative from the research institute stated, "We have confirmed that customer interest in a healthy lifestyle and self-management has increased," and added, "We will continue to analyze various trends to provide services that meet customer demand."

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