Nina Jobst
Research expert covering South Korea
E-commerce in South Korea - Statistics & Facts
South Korea is one of the biggest e-commerce markets worldwide. As a consumer society with an internet usage rate of 94 percent among the population, it is no surprise that e-commerce holds a strong position in South Korea. Industry figures suggest that the retail e-commerce volume will continue to increase even further. Internet shopping was especially popular among people under 40, with over 98 percent of South Koreans from 20 to 39 using internet shopping.
Market leaders
The leading online shopping categories based on sales were food and beverages, as well as home appliances, and travel expenses. The last one has now completely recovered from the drop due to COVID-19 restrictions it had suffered under before. Among the items bought online the most within the previous year, clothing took the first place by a large margin. Other popular products were food items or household items. As of June 2024, the most popular online shopping platform was coupang.com, which is especially known for its fast next-day delivery service. Coupang managed to overtake the long-time leading online marketplace G-market which is owned by eBay.Mobile shopping
Mobile retail e-commerce sales are also particularly strong in South Korea. The share of mobile transaction value accounted for a large percentage of total online transaction value. Mobile shopping has become a popular way to shop online across almost all generations. As the birthplace of Samsung and home to an overall tech-savvy population, South Koreans usage of smartphones is high. Accordingly, smartphones and other mobile devices were the most popular e-commerce channel for consumers.Trends in digital commerce
Next to mobile devices, the seemingly endless possibilities of omni-channel retailing have infiltrated the shopping behavior of consumers. Utilizing both on- and offline channels to appeal to a larger consumer base and cater to the preferences of each consumer, e-commerce plays a major role in shaping the consumer journey in omni-channel retail. The same is true for the South Korean cross-border e-commerce. Via direct shopping options consumers can access a larger variety of products and origin countries. At the same time, it makes shopping Korean merchandise easier for a global audience. E-commerce has become vital part of all sorts of shopping in South Korea.
