South Korea

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…

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…

In 2023, the number of debit cards in circulation in South Korea continues to gradually decline following a steady upward trend over 2019-2021. The decline is primarily underpinned by two fundamental factors; namely the declining teenage population…

In 2022, the relaxation of pandemic-related restrictions, including the easing of social distancing rules, heralded a significant shift in local consumers’ behaviour. With a newfound freedom to venture outdoors, a growing number of individuals opted…

Gross consumer lending’s growth is continuing to outperform outstanding balance, driven by card lending, as local consumers spend more with the reopening of society and cross-border travel. However, outstanding balance on card lending (encompassing…

One of the most significant global issues concerning consumer credit is BNPL (Buy Now Pay Later) services, which enable consumers without sufficient funds to make an immediate purchase, locally known as “thin filers”, to obtain goods and pay at a…

Alongside the home café trend, a notable shift has occurred in bakery products, transcending the long-held bias that bread cannot serve as a meal replacement - often referred to as the “breadcrumbs prejudice”. This shift emphasises the savoury,…

Post-pandemic, packaged food players are making efforts to meet various consumer needs due to the increasing preference for home-cooked meals. This movement involves developing and launching multiple food products in various formats. For example,…

Category players are customising their products to cater for various formats demanded by consumers sensitive to new lifestyle trends, such as South Korea's millennials and Generation Z, to maximise convenience. For instance, one of the habits among…

In 2023, the global supply chain of edible oil raw materials has faced significant disruptions due to climate change and geopolitical complexities, impacting availability in South Korea. The country's reliance on external sources has made it…

There have been surges in raw material prices for cooking ingredients and meals in South Korea, primarily attributed to climate change and geopolitical issues, which are further pushing up the average unit price. This has created an upward trajectory…

Staple foods, closely associated with economic conditions in South Korea, is experiencing slower growth rates in many categories due to recent external economic factors. Elevated inflation rates have led to an upward trend in retail value sales…

In 2023, there continues to be a noticeable revival in retail and foodservice volume sales of rice in South Korea. While the latter channel was negatively impacted by foodservice closures and restrictions during the pandemic, a declining trend in…