Online shopping sales up 7.3 pct in July on food delivery services

South Korean online shopping sales surged 7.3% in July compared to the previous year, driven by a surge in demand for food delivery services, according to data released by the Ministry of Data and Statistics on Tuesday. The total value of online shopping transactions reached 25 trillion won (approximately US$18.2 billion) in July, a 1.7 trillion won increase from the same period last year.

This figure marked the second-highest monthly online shopping sales since the current methodology was implemented in 2017, with the previous record standing at 25.5 trillion won in March. Food delivery services saw a notable uptick, with spending increasing by 8.9% to 3.8 trillion won. The popularity of imported cars, such as Tesla, contributed to a significant jump in automobile and related product sales, rising by 31.1% to 960 billion won.

Spending on food products, encompassing agricultural and fishery goods, also grew by 9.3% to 4.8 trillion won. Mobile devices, including smartphones and tablets, accounted for 78% of total sales, a 0.6 percentage point decrease from the previous year, with purchases through these devices rising by 6.4% to 19.6 trillion won.