The major Myeongdong shopping district in central Seoul is less crowded than usual amid growing fears over the spread of the new coronavirus on Feb. 1, 2020. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Feb. 21 (Korea Bizwire) — Shopping patterns have changed since the outbreak of the new coronavirus, as demand for products to take care of one’s appearance has decreased and purchases of products related to health, hygiene and convenience have increased, the TV shopping channel said.
Lotte Home Shopping Inc., a subsidiary of retail conglomerate Lotte, analyzed its sales from Feb. 1 to 17, and found that orders for color cosmetics such as foundation and makeup base fell by 31.6 percent.
Orders for luxury goods and jewelry such as bags, watches and necklaces also dropped by 14 percent.
On the other hand, orders for functional foods such as propolis, red ginseng, lactobacillus and vitamins increased 137 percent, while orders for simple foods increased fivefold.
Other items such as multi-purpose cleansers, bathroom cleaning supplies, wet tissues and toilet paper were sold out or had been more popular than expected.
As demand for leisure and sportswear products decreased, Lotte Home Shopping reduced the airing of related programs by 42 percent.
Instead, the number of sanitary and daily items on offer increased by 50 percent, and programs for functional and simple foods more than doubled.
Lotte Home Shopping expects the trend to continue for the time being with a number of confirmed patients spiking recently, and plans to expand its complement of sterilizing and sanitation-related products such as knife sanitizers and cleaning agents, as well as health food and simple food.
“As demand for products related to outdoor activities or personal grooming is decreasing due to the Covid-19 outbreak, and as more customers stay at home and worry about health and safety, shopping patterns are changing dramatically,” said Kim Jong-young, head of the marketing division at Lotte Home Shopping.
Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)
