This photo provided by Tesla Inc, shows the carmaker’s service center in western Seoul.
SEJONG, Nov. 3 (Korea Bizwire) – Online shopping sales in South Korea increased 13.3 percent from a year earlier to a record high for any September, driven by strong sales of Tesla vehicles and rising demand for food services, data showed Monday.
The value of online shopping transactions stood at 23.79 trillion won (US$16.61 billion) in September, up 2.79 trillion won from a year earlier, according to the data from the Ministry of Data and Statistics.
It marks the highest figure for any September since 2017, when the ministry began compiling the data.
The growth was led by the increase in automobiles and auto parts, which skyrocketed 136.4 percent from a year earlier, amid strong sales and higher deliveries of Tesla’s models, which are sold through an online order system.
Sales of food services and food and beverages went up 14 percent and 14.7 percent, respectively, in September, the ministry said.
Purchases made through smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices increased 11 percent on-year to 18.55 trillion won.
Mobile gadget-based shopping accounted for 75.9 percent of the total online sales in September, down 1.6 percentage points from a year earlier, the data showed.
(Yonhap)
