"Pepero Day, Send Gifts 'Contactlessly' Too"

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[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Saeng-hye] As non-face-to-face lifestyles have become normalized due to the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), the proportion of purchasing or gifting Pepero online has significantly increased ahead of Pepero Day on the 11th.

According to SSG.com on the 10th, Pepero orders from the weekend of the 6th to the 8th, just before Pepero Day, increased by 12% compared to the same period last year. On Market Kurly, sales of desserts, cakes, and chocolates/candies/jellies, which can be gifted as alternatives to Pepero during the same period, increased by about 10% compared to the same period last year. In particular, cake sales increased the most at 32%, and dessert sales also rose by 14%.

On Gmarket, sales in the snack category including Pepero also increased during the recent week from the 2nd to the 9th. Snacks and cookies/biscuits increased by 3% and 39% respectively compared to the previous week, and by 6% and 8% respectively compared to the same period last year. Chocolate sales increased by 33% compared to the same period last year.

The confectionery industry is also actively engaging in online marketing. Lotte Confectionery collaborated with the flower subscription service company Kkukka this year to launch a KakaoTalk-exclusive product, the limited edition 'Pepero X Kkukka.' Besides KakaoTalk, Pepero can be purchased through the 'Gift' function on multiple online malls such as Naver Shopping, Coupang, and Lotte ON. Gifts can be sent by simply entering the recipient's phone number.

Gmarket and Auction are offering Pepero and related products at discounted prices through the official Lotte Confectionery mall, an official participant brand of Big Smile Day. Lotte Confectionery also provides overlapping discount coupons until the 12th. Smile Club members receive overlapping discount coupons of 15% and 10%, while general members receive 10% and 8% overlapping discount coupons. Discounts of up to 5,000 KRW per coupon are available.

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