Reporting and analysis on retail, e-commerce, and consumer trends in Korea, updated continuously by our newsroom.
Korea is becoming a major destination for young Chinese couples looking to splurge on expensive items for their upcoming marriages. Chen Yi, 34, and Chai Xuefang, 30, who recently visited Seoul from Shandong province, China, are typical of the growing number…
A sense of security is paramount for nearly one quarter of shoppers when evaluating whether to purchase goods from a retailer online, according to a new survey from Worldpay, a payments provider. Assuring customers they are in safe hands throughout the entire…
South Korean retailers are breathing a sigh of relief as consumers return to stores in the wake of the MERS scare receding. South Korea retail sales rose 0.5 per cent in July to 30.14 trillion won (US$25.6 billion) after receding 0.6 per cent in June.…
The future is here. Pause to window shop and read information about the products displayed on the other side of a transparent OLED “window”. Try on outfits through virtual reality, and see how they look from all directions. Samsung Electronics will reveal new…
Korean super star Sandara Park whose road to international fame started in the Philippines decided to return to where it all started by endorsing a local fashion retail brand. “Hey guys! It’s me Sandara Park. And guess what? I’m the newest member of Team…
French luxury furniture retailer Roche Bobois is to open its first store in Hong Kong. The store will be the company’s eighth in Greater China and comes soon after the brand’s debut in the southern Chinese city of Chongqing. The new showroom will open in…
South Korean retailer E-Land has sealed a deal to launch Coffee Bean China by the end of 2015. The California-headquartered cafe chain, also known by its full name Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, says China will be its 28th international market. The China joint…
Luxury duty free and travel retailer, DFS Group, has opened pop-up stores in Hong Kong for the K-beauty brand Hera which the latter is using as a testbed for the global market. The T Galleria by DFS on Canton Road houses four pop-ups, with a launch in early…
South Korean retailer E-Land says its first full scale store in Taiwan’s capital Taipei drew 80,000 shoppers in its first week. Collectively, they spent US$843,000 in the week-long trial opening. E-Land opened its first Taiwanese boutique as a concession…
South Korean tech giant Samsung Electronics says the country’s 10 credit card companies have agreed to support its new mobile payment system, slated for launch today, Thursday. Korea will be the first market in which the Samsung Pay service is launched. It…
South Korea’s LG Electronics is making a strong push into the Middle East, opening premium brand shops in the area. The company is deliberately positioning its brand at the higher end of the market to differentiate it from lower cost brands. LG says it has…
South Korea’s Lotte.com has launched a Chinese mobile shopping mall service known as ‘china.lotte.com’ to meet demands of consumers chasing the ‘Korean Wave’. Growing numbers of Chinese are buying goods online from offshore sources – a practice referred to as…
In a bid to revitalise the national tourist market and domestic economy, withering in the wake of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) outbreak, Korea will go on sale. Branded the ‘Korea Grand Sale’, the 10 week long promotion will run from August 14…
As the brick-versus-click-sales war intensifies, shopping malls in Singapore are plotting aggressive strategies to stay ahead in the game while they continue to battle falling tourist arrivals, the oversupply of retail space and growing competition for…
Commissary shoppers in South Korea will begin to see cooked poultry products back on shelves by Labor Day. On July 13, the U.S. Department of Agriculture issued a revision to Korea’s embargo to allow heat-treated poultry and poultry products from the U.S.…
The head of South Korea’s Lotte Group yesterday vowed a new era of corporate governance and transparency as he apologized for the family feud engulfing the beleaguered retail giant. In an address broadcast live on TV, group chairman Shin Dong-bin also sought…
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