South Korea

The briefing examines how the pulp commodity performs globally and in the largest countries in terms of supply and production. The report also provides data and analysis on pulp price dynamics, as well as trends across key commodity-consuming…

Retail volume sales of vacuum cleaners as a whole are falling in 2023, despite another dynamic performance by robotic vacuum cleaners with robust double-digit volume and value growth. Standard vacuum cleaners are relatively mature in South Korea,…

Economic instability is reducing consumer spending on non-essential items such as small cooking appliances. Consumers are concerned about their financial situation and have become increasingly conscious of their expenditure, reducing their propensity…

Retail volume sales of refrigeration appliances continue to decline in 2023, following the trends of a post-pandemic era, inflation, and reduced consumer spending. The volume decline is not as steep as the previous year, and overall demand remains…

As pandemic-related social distancing regulations have been largely lifted in South Korea, and consumers have resumed activities such as returning to the workplace, there has been increasing demand for personal care appliances. The return to normalcy…

South Korea experienced a 3.7% inflation rate in September 2023, the highest in five months since April. This increase follows a peak inflation rate of 6.3% in July 2022, which then gradually decreased to 2.3% by July 2023. As the cost of living…

Demand for large cooking appliances continues to experience decline in 2023, resulting from economic instability and a real estate slowdown that has persisted from the previous year. Local consumers are choosing to continue using their existing large…

Demand for home laundry appliances is growing in 2023 following a marginal dip in retail volume sales the previous year. The category’s performance is mainly attributed to a significant increase in demand for automatic dryers, while retail volume…

Retail volume sales of food preparation appliances are declining for a second consecutive year in 2023. This is a trend evident across the category, with juice extractors experiencing the steepest decline. This is being driven by several factors, but…

Retail volume sales of dishwashers in South Korea are marginally declining in 2023 for a second consecutive year. This can be attributed to subdued consumer sentiment due to economic stability, which is resulting in many South Koreans refraining from…

Retail volume sales of major appliances are declining in 2023, albeit by a slower rate compared to 2022, attributed to inflation and consumers’ constrained budgets. During the pandemic, demand for many consumer appliances experienced an unprecedented…

Air treatment products in South Korea is exhibiting a mixed performance. Cooling appliances are mostly experiencing positive demand due to global warming and exceedingly hot summers in the country, whereas air purifiers and humidifiers are…

The briefing examines how the steel commodity is performing globally and in the largest countries in terms of supply and production. The report also provides data and analysis on steel price dynamics, as well as trends across key commodity consuming…

Tea is set to maintain growth in current value terms in 2023, with this expected to be driven by fruit/herbal tea. Consumers are looking for non-caffeinated tea as an efficient way to provide hydration. This is leading to growing sales of…

Although expected to see another year of retail current value decline in 2023, chocolate-based flavoured powder drinks continues to dominate other hot drinks. These are seasonal beverages, and as a product with limited diversification in taste,…

Hot drinks is set to see decline in retail volume terms and a stagnant performance in retail current value terms in 2023. Tea is set to see the best performance, maintaining current value growth, while coffee is set to see stagnancy due to the…

Instant coffee has been experiencing continuous retail current value declines, which are set to continue in 2023. The first factor contributing to this decline is the increasing trend of “home café”, or creating café-like experiences at home, whereby…

Store cards in South Korea is experiencing a trend of stagnant growth. Despite the enduring appeal of store cards and their unique set of benefits, the growth rates in both 2022 and 2023 feature stabilisation rather than substantial expansion.…

In 2022, South Korea witnessed growth in both the issuance and usage of pre-paid cards in line with greater mobility outside of the home. Shinhan Card, in particular, played a role in driving this growth, reporting a remarkable increase in the retail…

The landscape of card transactions in South Korea is undergoing a remarkable transformation marked by a gradual decline in cash usage. This paradigm shift is primarily driven by the widespread adoption of mobile financial services, a trend that has…