There is a jelly that sold 2 million units within just three months of its launch. The star is "Sweet Mix Jelly," released by GS Retail in November last year. Sweet Mix Jelly broke the previous record for fastest sales, surpassing even the Dubai Chocolate, which held the record last year. It also overtook convenience store staples like ramen and snacks to become the top-selling processed food product overall.

Jinwoo Lee, the MD of the processed foods team at GS Retail who planned Sweet Mix Jelly, emphasized in an interview with Asia Economy at GS Retail's headquarters in Gangnam, Seoul on the 13th, that there are three principles for a hit new product. First, "Can it go viral?" Second, "Is it unavailable domestically?" Third, "Is it sold at a high price only in Korea?" By classifying products based on these characteristics, you can select new products with a high probability of success.

Sweet Mix Jelly was also created based on these principles. The prototype for Sweet Mix Jelly, "Swedish Jelly," was first introduced in Korea around August last year by creator Jeon Unni. Jeon Unni is known as the "Jang Yeong-sil of the dessert world" for being the first to introduce hits like "Dubai Chocolate" and "Towel Cake" to Korea.

Sweet Mix Jelly was also created based on this principle. The original form of Sweet Mix Jelly, 'Swedish Jelly,' was first introduced in Korea around August last year through the creator Jeon Unni. Jeon Unni is known as the 'Mun Ikjeom of the dessert world' for being the first to introduce the wildly popular 'Dubai Chocolate' and 'Towel Cake' in Korea.

At the time, Jeon Unni introduced the Swedish Jelly product from the Swedish brand Bubs. Unlike most jellies sold in Korea, which use animal-based gelatin, Swedish Jelly uses plant-based pectin protein. It has a unique chewy texture and a bubblegum flavor, rather than being simply hard or soft. However, because it is not well known in Asian countries, it can only be purchased in Korea through overseas direct purchase. When bought this way, it costs about 40,000 won for 500g, making it very expensive.

Lee said, "Swedish Jelly became a trend on social networking services (SNS) due to its unique texture, it is not easily available in Korea, and if purchased overseas, the price is very high," adding, "With all these principles aligning, we decided to commercialize Swedish Jelly."

Full-scale preparations for the launch began in September last year. The first step was to find a factory capable of making the jelly. However, it took a month and a half just to find a suitable manufacturer. Most jellies distributed in Korea are made with gelatin, so it was not easy to find a factory that handled pectin. In the end, about ten factories, including those in China and Japan, were shortlisted, and after visiting nine of them, a suitable production facility was found.

Lee said, "To recreate the authentic taste of Swedish Jelly, we insisted on using only plant-based pectin," and added, "Because there are not many factories that can handle pectin, we were actually able to launch faster than other companies that tried to use gelatin." Sweet Mix Jelly was launched on November 28 last year, about three months after preparations began.

Immediately after its release, Sweet Mix Jelly was a huge hit. Among jelly and chocolate products, it broke the record by selling 1 million units in just 39 days, and as of the 29th of last month, another 1 million were sold, reaching a cumulative total of 2 million units in 68 days. This is even faster than Dubai Chocolate, which set the previous record by selling 1 million units in 46 days and 2 million in 99 days last year.

As of the 17th, Sweet Mix Jelly and Jeon Unni Sweet Mix Jelly ranked first and second in overall sales in the processed food category, including ramen and snacks, which are bestsellers at convenience stores. This is the first time a jelly product has ranked number one in total processed food sales. In fact, Sweet Mix Jelly has recorded a 100% sell-through rate within three days of ordering. Due to its explosive popularity, it is often out of stock in stores during the evening hours.

Jinwoo Lee, MD of the Processed Food Team at GS Retail, is introducing Sweetmix Jelly. (Photo by GS Retail)

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Lee emphasized that the trend for new products has changed dramatically compared to the past. The lifespan of a product from birth to discontinuation has become shorter, and if it does not match consumer demand, it can be ignored even if promoted through TV commercials. Consumption patterns have also changed. Recently, in the dessert industry, "Dito consumption" has become popular, with many consumers wanting to try products they saw trending on social networking services (SNS) overseas. In the case of Sweet Mix Jelly, the highest purchase rate is among consumers in their teens and twenties, driven by the desire to try desserts that are trending on SNS.

Lee explained, "In the past, new products would last 6 months to a year, but now the product lifecycle has shortened to less than three months," and added, "Unlike 10 or 20 years ago, with the advent of an era where communication through mobile phones is seamless, products that do not meet customer needs die out quickly."

This was also the background for collaborating with Jeon Unni to launch the second edition of Sweet Mix Jelly on the 4th. Lee said, "Jeon Unni has introduced many products to Korea for the first time, such as Dubai Chocolate, Towel Cake, and Swedish Jelly, and not only has a strong sense of responsibility for her products but also enjoys high trust from her subscribers," adding, "I thought that if we upgraded the taste of the existing product and launched it together, it would add even more originality." GS25 is preparing several more product lineups in collaboration with Jeon Unni following the release of Sweet Mix Jelly 2.

Lee said, "Recently, 'dupe consumption,' where products imitating luxury bags sell better than the actual luxury bags, has become a trend," and added, "Sweet Mix Jelly is also popular because it imitates the expensive Swedish Jelly at a low price of 2,500 won per 100g, but I want to completely shake off the image of being a knockoff." He continued, "Just as Haribo is representative of Germany, I hope Sweet Mix Jelly will become representative of Korea."

The next hit products Lee picked are the bubblegum-shaped British "Drumstick Jelly" and "Crystal Candy" from the American brand Silky Gem. He said, "Although Drumstick Jelly was not introduced by Jeon Unni, it has been featured by several influencers, so I think it will sell well thanks to its fluffy texture," and added, "Crystal Candy is a handmade candy that looks like a mineral, and since it is sold for around 100,000 won through overseas direct purchase in Korea, I expect it to be the next hit product."