The total volume of mobile shopping sales was 13.1 trillion won, up 12.5 trillion won from 2011 when the KCCI started tracking mobile shopping sales figures. (image: Kobiz Media / Korea Bizwire)
SEOUL, March 24 (Korea Bizwire) – Thanks to the ubiquity of smartphones and tablets, annual sales volumes for mobile shopping in Korea first exceeded the 10 trillion won mark last year.
According to the “Distribution Industry Whitepaper 2015” released on March 23 by the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), the total volume of mobile shopping sales was 13.1 trillion won, up 12.5 trillion won from 2011 when the KCCI started tracking mobile shopping sales figures.
The KCCI said, “As search and payment solutions through mobile devices continue to improve, online shopping channels are moving from PCs to mobile.” In fact, the sales volume of online shopping through PCs decreased by 1.8 trillion won, but mobile sales increased by 7.2 trillion won.
Meanwhile, offline shopping channels have mixed feelings of joy and sorrow. While traditional powerhouses such as the big box retailers (-3.4%), department stores (-1.6%) and supermarkets (0.8%) showed negative or stagnant sales growth, convenience stores saw an increase of 8.7 percent last year.
By Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)
