E-mart's Chuseok gift set pre-orders jump 21% to record high

E-mart said its first round of pre-orders for Chuseok gift sets, held from Aug. 6 to Sept. 4, rose 21.2 percent from the same period last year, marking an all-time high. Chuseok gift set sales at Traders and E-mart Everyday, E-mart's affiliated retail chains, also grew 31.6 percent and 11.6 percent, respectively, over the same period.

"Demand was concentrated in the first pre-order period, when gift certificate benefits were greatest," an E-mart official said. "Early-bird customers looking to prepare their holiday gifts in advance and reduce costs drove the results, and the last day of the first-round event saw the highest single-day sales of any pre-order period on record."

E-mart, Traders and E-mart Everyday are running their pre-order promotion through Wednesday. Customers who pay with a designated event card or accumulate Shinsegae Points can receive discounts of up to 50 percent. The promotion also includes gift certificates based on purchase amount, interest-free installment plans and free delivery.

This year, "budget-friendly premium" products proved popular as customers sought to ease price burdens. E-mart expanded its curated sets, which keep fresh food quality intact while diversifying origin, volume and composition and using bulk purchasing to sharpen price competitiveness.

Among livestock gift sets, "US LA-style flower galbi" and "Australian LA-style flower galbi," both priced at 90,000 won ($67), ranked first and second in sales. Fruit gift sets featuring apples and pears, and sets of ginseng, deodeok and dried mushrooms, grew 10.3 percent and 42.9 percent, respectively, from a year earlier. The growth was led by budget-friendly items priced in the 30,000 to 50,000 won range and offered at discounts of up to 40 percent.

In processed foods, combination sets priced around 30,000 won and featuring canned goods and cooking oil proved popular, with sales surpassing 1.6 million sets. Sales of premium gift sets priced above 200,000 won rose 91 percent. Demand was driven by high-end gifts such as traditional favorites like Korean beef and dried yellow corvina, as well as premium spirits including whiskey and wine.