(image: Korea Bizwire)
SEOUL, Sept. 3 (Korea Bizwire) — Online shopping in South Korea hit a record high in July on the back of strong demand for food delivery services and the purchase of foodstuffs amid the pandemic, data showed Friday.
The value of online shopping transactions stood at 16.2 trillion won (US$14 billion) in July, up 24.9 percent from a year earlier, according to the data from Statistics Korea.
The July reading marked the largest since November 2001, when the statistics agency began compiling related data.
Amid an economic recovery and tougher virus restrictions, online purchases of goods and services gained ground, led by demand for foodstuffs, food delivery and electronics, the agency said.
Purchases made through smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices rose 33.8 percent on-year to 11.7 trillion won in July. Mobile shopping accounted for 72.3 percent of the total value of online shopping.
Online transactions of food delivery services jumped 72.5 percent on-year to 2.38 trillion won, and those of food and beverages rose 30 percent to 2.07 trillion won.
Purchases of electronic goods increased 48.3 percent on-year to 2.06 trillion won thanks to demand for home appliances, including air conditioners.
Online shopping of travel-related services inched up 2.1 percent to 823 billion won in July due largely to last year’s low base and increased activity.
(Yonhap)
