Home Deliveries Conquer Korea

A growing number of Koreans are ordering home delivery rather than going out to eat or shop.

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KB Card analyzed payment data for food delivery, household appliances rental, parcel delivery, home and car cleaning and home entertainment. It found that the number of such card transactions in the second quarter of this year grew 1.9 times from the first quarter of 2018.

Food deliveries saw the biggest rate of growth, with transactions rising 2.14 times.

Consumers between the ages of 25 to 34 were the most avid users of food-delivery apps with 56.4 percent of total users. They said they like the convenience in ordering and payments (54.3 percent) and that it saves them the trouble of going to restaurants (44.7 percent). They were allowed to cite multiple reasons.

The number of payments for child and pet care and car and home cleaning services grew 2.01 times. Payments for movies, music, books and games online grew 1.83 times.

That means more Koreans are hiring others to do their household chores while vegging out on the sofa.

KB Card attributed the trend to changing attitudes to spending time at home. Some 35.9 percent of consumers who used these online services said they were spending more time at home this year than they did in 2018.

Only 21.2 percent said they spend their leisure time outside the home while 51.7 percent stay in.

Among those who spent more time at home, 49.5 percent said they did it because they want "genuine relaxation", while 32.4 percent cited "comfort" and 30.7 percent said there are now "many activities" available to do at home.