South Korean online retail sales show steep climb

South Korean online sales posted double-digit growth in February, underpinned by soaring demand for air purifiers.

The spike in demand was caused by an instance of fine-dust pollution that hit Korea during the month.

The findings were published in a Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy report last Thursday that registered a 12 per cent advance in online retail sales compared with the same period last year.

Home appliances sales, encompassing air purifiers, grew 62.2 per cent over the course of the month.

The February figures contrasted with a 0.4 per cent dip in revenue by both online and offline major retailers and a 7.1 per cent decline in offline sales. Discount outlet sales also dropped by 13.7 per cent.