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According to Statistics Korea on July 23, 2025, the amount spent on direct online overseas purchases in the first quarter of this year reached 1.955 trillion won, up 4.7% from the same period last year. Of this, direct purchases from China through Chinese e-commerce platforms such as AliExpress and Temu amounted to 1.2204 trillion won, a 19.46% increase over the same period. Direct purchases of household and automotive goods surged more than 50%, from 95.2 billion won to 147.3 billion won.

AliExpress is targeting consumers with low prices and a wide range of products. Currently, AliExpress displays its home interior category by space, such as kitchen, home office, bathroom, bedding, garden·veranda, bedroom, and living room. The bedroom category is further subdivided into items like objets, interior mirrors, tapestries, and point stickers.

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Price competitiveness is also outstanding. For example, fabric posters used for wall decoration cost around 10,000 won on domestic platforms, but only 4,000-5,000 won on AliExpress?about half the price. Nordic-style flower vase decorations can be purchased for around 3,000 won on AliExpress. Since interior products are often purchased to change the atmosphere seasonally, the vast selection and low prices are strong advantages.

This consumption trend has led to a steady number of AliExpress users. According to data research firm WiseApp·Retail, AliExpress recorded 9,052,103 monthly active users (MAU) in Korea last month, ranking second among general online malls after Coupang (33,949,251 users).

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While AliExpress dominates online with a wide variety of trendy, cost-effective items, offline shoppers flock to Daiso for its affordable prices under 5,000 won and excellent accessibility.

Daiso, a fixed-price household goods retailer, has recorded all-time high results every year as 'recession-type consumption' spreads, thanks to its policy of keeping all products under 5,000 won. Last year, Daiso posted nearly 4 trillion won in sales, up 14.6% from the previous year. During this period, operating profit surged by more than 1 billion won, from 261.7 billion won to 371.1 billion won.

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With ultra-low-priced items gaining popularity, Chinese retailers Miniso and YoYoso have entered the Korean market directly. Japanese companies Don Quijote and Threepy have recently opened pop-up stores in Korea as they weigh their entry into the Korean market.