In brief
In September, South Korea’s online shopping market grew 4.1% year‑on‑year to 24.97 trillion won, with a sharp 30.9% jump in car sales and noticeable gains in food delivery and agriculture. Home appliances and electronics declined 7.0%. Mobile purchases accounted for 76.4% of the total, with larger increases in food, agriculture and travel categories, while clothing sales fell.
South Korea’s online retail volume increased 4.1% in September, climbing to 24.97 trillion won (about 18.6 billion U.S. dollars), according to data from the Ministry of Data and Statistics reported by Xinhua on Nov. 2. The rise comes amid a sharp uptick in automobile purchases and stronger sales of food‑delivery services and agricultural products.
Sales of home appliances and electronics fell 7.0% from a year ago, while automobile and car‑accessory sales surged 30.9%, with Tesla models dominating the online orders. Food‑delivery services grew 5.9%, and agricultural, livestock and fishery products jumped 9.7% in September.
Mobile shopping rose 5.4% year‑on‑year, reaching 19.08 trillion won and representing 76.4% of the total online sales. Mobile sales of clothing dropped 7.9%, but mobile purchases in other sectors saw larger gains.
Within the mobile segment, food‑delivery services and agricultural products climbed 6.0% and 15.2% respectively, while travel and transportation services increased 8.7%. These figures underscore a shift toward mobile‑based e‑commerce in Korea’s online market.
Analysts note that the strong performance in automotive and food delivery segments helped offset the weakness in electronics and appliances, driving the overall growth in September’s online retail activity.
