韩国热浪带动配送、便利店快商和降温品类销售上升

As extreme heat continues, with the first serious heatwave alert issued for Seoul and the Gyeonggi region, consumption patterns in the retail industry are changing rapidly. As more consumers avoid going outside, demand for delivery orders, even for products from nearby convenience stores, is surging, while sales of cooling clothing and summer functional products that can offer some relief from the heat are rising quickly.
According to IGAWorks' Mobile Index on the 3rd, monthly active users (MAU) of major delivery applications in July recorded their highest level so far this year. Baedal Minjok's July MAU stood at 24.69 million, while Coupang Eats also reached 13.85 million, each marking a monthly high for the year. Normally, July is a period when delivery demand declines during the vacation season, but this year, demand from consumers reluctant to go outside due to the heat concentrated, leading to an unusual increase in user numbers, industry officials explained.
Demand for using delivery rather than visiting even nearby convenience stores in person is also growing quickly. The growth rate of July quick-commerce delivery sales at convenience store CU averaged 194% year-on-year in the first through third weeks, and exceeded 200% in the fourth week, when the heatwave began. GS25's quick-commerce delivery sales growth rate, which averaged 117% in the first through third weeks, also jumped sharply to 177% in the fourth week. An official in the convenience store industry said, "The consumption pattern of receiving needed products by delivery is becoming routine amid the recent heatwave."
At convenience stores, sales of ice cream, cup ice and other items that can cool down the heat are also rising quickly. CU's sales of ice cream and cup ice last week (July 25 to August 2) increased 33% and 54% year-on-year, respectively, while sales of sports and ion drinks and bottled water rose 40% and 38%, respectively.
Summer functional products such as cooling clothing are also selling briskly. At the fashion and lifestyle platform 29CM, transaction value for cooling pads in July jumped 206% year-on-year, and seersucker shirts also surged 164%. In the case of Zigzag, transaction value for cooling shirts rose 1,429%, while transaction value for cooling pants increased 145%.
Demand for cooling appliances is also continuing. Typically, demand for summer appliances concentrates on advance purchases before the peak of the heat begins, but this year, extreme heat has extended demand into midsummer. According to E-Mart, sales of system air conditioners over the month of July increased 116% year-on-year, and sales of dehumidifiers rose 65%. An E-Mart official said, "This year, relatively cooler-than-usual weather continued in May and June, which somewhat dampened demand for cooling appliances, but demand for related products has been increasing since July when the heat began in earnest."
The number of consumers heading to complex shopping malls, which serve as "urban summer retreats," is also growing. This is because they can handle air conditioning, shopping and meals all at once. As of the fourth week of July, sales at Lotte World Mall in Jamsil increased 25% year-on-year, while The Hyundai Seoul and I'Park Mall also rose 24% and 22%, respectively, during the same period.
The retail industry expects that, given the high likelihood that the heatwave will continue in August, related demand for cooling appliances, summer functional products, delivery and quick commerce will persist for the time being. On the same day, the Korea Meteorological Administration issued the first serious heatwave alert for Seoul and the Gyeonggi region and forecast that extreme heat would continue at least through next week.
A retail industry official said, "As record-breaking heat continues, demand for product categories that cool down the heat is greatly increasing," adding, "At the same time, more consumers are reducing outings and enjoying meals or shopping in cool indoor spaces. The heatwave is changing not only product choices but also the overall way of consumption, and this is appearing everywhere in the retail industry."