Motorbikes for food delivery are parked along a street in Seoul. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Aug. 12 (Korea Bizwire) — The spread of COVID-19 led to a 30-percent increase in the monthly food delivery app usage per person last year, a private think tank said Thursday.
The Hana Institute of Finance analyzed Hana Card Co.’s transaction data from January 2020 to late last year, which showed that each person used a delivery app 5.4 times on avearge as of December last year, up by 30 percent from January 2020.
Monthly transactions on delivery apps per person jumped by 52 percent from 88,000 won (US$67.41) to 134,000 won over the same period.
Comparing the 20 administrative regions within Seoul with the highest demand for delivery, usage of delivery apps rose in areas with higher concentration of residents in their 30s.
Delivery demand in Yeoksam 1-dong, Gangnam District, which had the highest proportion of residents in their 30s, was 1.6 times higher than Hwagok 1-dong, which had the second-highest demand for delivery.
Areas like Sillim-dong and Nonhyeon 1-dong, where there are a high proportion of single-person households or households with few members, showed significant spending on delivery apps.
Demand for delivery rose on weekends. Food deliveries jumped by 56 percent on Sundays compared to Mondays. Transactions jumped by 66 percent on Saturdays compared to Mondays.
“Food delivery app usage patterns vary depending on the regional differences in age, household, and income,” said Park Sang-hyun, a researcher at the Hana Institute of Finance.
“This will help us support marketing startegies for small businesses and understand the economy in different regions better.”
H. M. Kang (hmkang@koreabizwire.com)
