A survey conducted in January 2019 found that most consumers still tend to shop for groceries offline rather than online. Nevertheless, almost one third of online grocery shoppers used the service around once per week. Another survey conducted in August 2018 found that households with three or more persons were more likely to use online grocery shopping services than single or two person households.
Surveyed users estimated they tend to spend between 20,000 and 40,000 South Korean won per order, while users of the service Homeplus mall tend to spend the highest amount per order. Additionally, more than two thirds of shoppers use mobile devices for ordering groceries.
One of the biggest disadvantages from a user’s perspective is the fact that they cannot check the quality of the food before buying it. Having no trust in quality was one of the leading reasons for not using online grocery shopping services for around 26.7 percent of respondents in a survey in August 2018. Meanwhile, fresh products like seafood, meat, as well as produce, are among the least popular grocery items to shop for online.
Home Meal Replacements have been among the most popular items for online grocery shoppers and a driving force for the market. Despite widespread concerns about the quality of fresh products, the market is growing anyways as consumers gain confidence in the services. The South Korean online grocery market is likely to grow further, given the high usage of general online shopping and the country’s well-established delivery system.
