July online shopping hits second-highest level on record, driven by EV and used-car purchases

Online shopping transactions in July surpassed 25 trillion won ($18.2 billion), marking the second-highest total since the government overhauled its related statistics. The surge was driven largely by a sharp rise in online purchases of imported electric vehicles and used cars, which pushed the automotive category up more than 30 percent. Apparel transactions, by contrast, declined as a prolonged heatwave led consumers to delay buying fall clothing.

The Ministry of Statistics released its "July 2026 Online Shopping Trends" report Tuesday, showing total online shopping transactions last month reached 25.1 trillion won, up 7.3 percent from the same month a year earlier.

That figure is the second largest since the statistics were restructured in 2017. The all-time high remains 25.54 trillion won, set in March this year.

By product category, vehicles and auto parts posted the steepest year-on-year gain, rising 31.1 percent. The Ministry of Statistics said the increase reflected consistently expanding online purchases of imported electric vehicles, including Tesla models, as well as a recent uptick in online used-car transactions.

Food service transactions grew 8.9 percent, while food and grocery purchases rose 8.1 percent, both contributing to broader growth in the online shopping market.

Food services accounted for the largest share of total transactions at 15.5 percent, or 3.89 trillion won, followed by food and groceries at 13.9 percent, or 3.5 trillion won, and travel and transportation services at 12.6 percent, or 3.17 trillion won.

Apparel transactions fell 6.1 percent from a year earlier. Although consumers typically begin buying fall clothing in July, the persistent heatwave is believed to have prompted many to postpone purchases. Analysts also noted a tendency among online shoppers to gravitate toward lower-priced clothing, which further weighed on the category's transaction value.

Mobile shopping transactions in July reached 19.57 trillion won, up 6.4 percent from the same month last year. However, mobile's share of total online shopping transactions edged down 0.6 percentage point year on year to 78.0 percent.

Among product categories, mobile transactions for agricultural, livestock and fishery products rose 16.3 percent, while food services and food and groceries climbed 9.1 percent and 6.8 percent, respectively. Apparel fell 9.5 percent.

Within online shopping, food services had the highest mobile transaction share at 99.1 percent, followed by e-coupon services at 92.4 percent and children's and infant products at 85.3 percent.