South Korea

Chocolate confectionery in South Korea is expected to see low retail current value growth in 2024, along with marginal retail volume decline. Mixed developments are being seen in 2024, influenced by broader market trends and changing consumer…

Sun care saw dynamic current value growth in South Korea in 2023, with sales rising above the pre-pandemic level. Sun protection witnessed a notable rise, especially the mass segment, as outdoor activities increased. Several factors contributed to…

Packaging trends in South Korea showcase a dynamic landscape, driven by consumer preferences and environmental concerns. In the realm of gift-giving, there is a growing inclination, especially among the younger demographic, towards European fruit…

The official end of the pandemic in 2023, and the full resumption of offline classrooms in schools and extracurricular academic institutions has been continuing to support students’ demand for stationery, and is also expected to sustain the retail…

Home furnishings in Korea saw another year of current value decline in 2023, although this was slower than in the previous year. However, not all categories saw a declining trend; for instance, barbecues witnessed solid value growth in 2023. This was…

After seeing minimal current value growth in 2023, dog food is set to record another year of low single-digit growth in South Korea in 2024. Due to the slowdown in growth in the dog population, and the economic downturn, there have been low growth…

Oral care saw even stronger current value growth in South Korea in 2023 than in the previous few years. Consumer awareness of oral hygiene continues to grow, contributing to the healthy growth of the category in this year. Most categories within oral…

Convenience retailers maintained dynamic growth in current value terms and in terms of outlet numbers in South Korea in 2023. The number of convenience retailers surpassed 50,000 in 2021, and this figure increased to nearly 60,000 in 2023. The…

In 2023, home care in South Korea saw robust current value growth, propelled by heightened consumer awareness of hygiene levels since the COVID-19 pandemic. Consumers are also showing a growing preference for sophisticated and specialised home care…

Rigid plastic dominates packaging unit volumes in the South Korean soft drinks industry, predominantly in the form of PET bottles, but also thin wall plastic containers and HDPE bottles, although the latter pack type still has a very small footprint.…

Appliances and electronics specialists maintained its long-standing decline in outlet numbers in South Korea in 2023, and although it returned to growth in current value terms, this only made a small dent in the losses experienced since 2019. The…

While in 2022 sales of traditional watches posted strong double-digit current value growth, driven by consumers’ high demand for luxury goods, 2023 is set to witness a strong slowdown in growth, as the unstable global political and economic…

In early 2023, as the South Korean government fully lifted COVID-19-related restrictions and entered the endemic era, international travel fully reopened. As consumer spending has largely shifted to international travel, the growth of bags,…

Despite some stabilising of retail volume growth in 2023, overall demand for vitamins in South Korea remains higher than pre-pandemic levels. Single vitamins, particularly vitamin C, have been popular since the emergence of COVID-19 as local…

Within plant-based dairy in South Korea, plant-based milk was the only category with notable packaging volumes in 2023, as plant-based yoghurt and cheese are still in their early stages of development. Brick liquid cartons is the preferred pack type…

Men’s grooming maintained solid current value growth in South Korea in 2023. However, sales of premium men’s deodorants and premium men’s hair care products continued to be negligible, primarily because demand remains within the mass segment in these…

In 2022 and 2023, independent self-service cafeterias demonstrated double-digit growth in retail value sales. The primary driver behind this success was the popularity of local Korean cuisine buffets, which provide a rich variety of options, and…

Juice has long been experiencing a decline in its popularity, with off-trade volume sales falling for over 10 years, and this set to continue in 2023. Once synonymous with a premium image, juice has lost customers to freshly squeezed juice due to its…

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…

With the lifting of the mask mandate in 2023 amid the waning impact of COVID-19 in South Korea, local consumer are enjoying outdoor activities, including participating in sports, without restrictions. In particular, demand for non-sheer hosiery has…

In 2023, sports footwear continues to post healthy sales growth, as South Korea enters an endemic era where all social restrictions, including the mask mandate, have been fully lifted and consumers have returned to normal outdoor activities. As…

In 2022, the total fertility rate in South Korea reached a new low of 0.78, with the number of newborns also dropping below 250,000 for the first time. The ongoing decline of new births in the country is resulting in falling retail volume sales for…

In 2023, the government reformed its electric vehicles subsidy plan, considering factors like price, vehicle performance, warranty infrastructure and battery energy. This is set to boost the electric vehicle market, especially favouring local brands.…

Headphones recorded another year of strong retail volume growth in 2022, driven by the dominant TWS earbuds category, and although demand for wireless earphones continued to fall rapidly, wireless headbands also saw a solid positive performance. The…

After many years of growth, in 2023 toys and games in South Korea witnessed a notable current value decline, with traditional toys and games seeing only a slight fall in sales, and video games a stronger decrease. Toys and games witnessed a decrease…

In 2023, tanghulu (sugar-coated fruits on a bamboo skewer) emerged as the most prominent snacking mega-trend in the entire food industry in South Korea. The popularity of tanghulu began with mukbang YouTubers who focused on ASMR content, creating…

While reducing food waste and recycling are well-established green habits, many consumers are apathetic, believing their actions make no difference. This creates opportunities to focus on actionable sustainable claims and campaigns, highlighting…

Overall womenswear continues to post solid growth in 2023. However, both retail volume and current value growth rates are notably slower compared to the dynamic performance by womenswear in 2022. This is likely due to the fact that consumers’ pent-up…

Dermatologicals is a saturated category in South Korea and has lost some of its growth momentum in terms of retail volume sales. A lack of new product development is one factor hampering stronger growth for some products, whilst another is increasing…

Total sweet spreads packaging volumes maintained growth in South Korea in 2023. Jams and preserves continued to account for the highest packaging volumes, and also saw the highest growth. Glass jars continued to be the dominant packaging for sweet…

Total baby food packaging volumes continued to rise in South Korea in 2023. In this year, plastic pouches experienced growth in packaging volumes in baby food, as these offer exceptional convenience for parents, providing a lightweight, portable, and…

Tissue and hygiene navigated a complex landscape in South Korea in 2023, shaped by key macro variables. Inflation, which was a global phenomenon, strongly impacted the industry. Rising raw materials costs squeezed profit margins and forced…

Specialist coffee and tea shops is a mature category in South Korea, but continued to show dynamic growth in 2023. Previously, players in specialist coffee shops changed high unit prices, but advances in coffee machines led to standardisation of…

Overall carbonates is set to see dynamic off-trade volume growth in 2023. However, concerns about the dangers of the overconsumption of sugar are driving consumers towards healthier variants. Increasing numbers of consumers are concerned about the…

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…

In 2023, cheese in South Korea is expected to continue to thrive in retail current value terms, building on the positive growth observed in the previous year. However, a notable opposite trend has emerged in volume terms, as all cheese categories…

Bath and shower maintained solid current value growth in South Korea in 2023, although the rate of increase slowed compared with the peak seen over 2020-2022. Clean beauty, which emphasises gentle and natural ingredients, is highly favoured by…

Health and beauty specialists saw fairly static outlet numbers in South Korea in 2023, after several years of decline, but saw a second year of growth in current value terms. The largest channel in value terms, pharmacies, maintained growth in South…

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…

In 2023, sportswear continues to post healthy growth, boosted by the full lifting of the mask mandate and consumers’ increasing participation in sports and outdoor activities. Some players stated that their manufacturing facilities struggled to keep…

Menswear continues to post healthy current value sales growth, as South Korea fully entered an endemic era from May 2023. Followed by the lifting of social distancing measures in 2022, the South Korea government lifted the mask mandate in April 2023…

Demand for jeans continues to grow in 2023, driven by the ongoing popularity of street casual. The beginning of the endemic era in South Korea and consumers’ increasing outdoor activities are also helping to boost demand for durable jeans. The…

Two key players in South Korea's online travel agencies are Yeogi Eottae and Yanolja, which both began as OTAs focused on lodging in the country. However, they are continuously expanding their businesses beyond this sector to include different travel…

Air Premier is an airline which initially launched in 2017. Unlike full service and low cost carriers, Air Premier is positioned as a "hybrid airline". Full service carriers are known to offer various airfares, but tend to be perceived as premium,…

Total meals and soups packaging volumes continued to see a dramatic rise in 2023. Flexible plastic was the leading pack type in meals and soups packaging in South Korea in 2023, used across most categories, as this offers functionality, convenience,…

Contact lenses in South Korea is set to maintain solid but slower current value growth in 2024. Multifocal lenses are gaining significant popularity in the country, largely driven by the ageing population. As the demographic shift towards an older…

While instant coffee continued to decline, the desire for better-quality coffee is helping to continue to drive sales of fresh ground coffee pods, which are therefore becoming an increasing area of focus for coffee companies. Even after coffee pods…

In 2023, retail e-commerce maintained double-digit current value growth in South Korea. In recent times, the retail landscape in the country witnessed a remarkable surge in online shopping activities, driving a substantial increase in online…

Home products specialists maintained its decline in outlet numbers in South Korea in 2023, but returned to low growth in current value terms. Homewares and home furnishings stores saw the slowest value growth rate in 2023. This channel faced…

Despite the overall waning impact of the pandemic in South Korea, simultaneous new outbreaks of COVID-19, influenza, and the common cold (referred to as a “tripledemic” in the country) are leading to a sharp increase in the number of consumers…