Convenience store desserts shift focus to quality fundamentals

The convenience store dessert race is shifting from novelty to fundamentals. As viral products such as Dujjonku and butter rice cake flood the market, a growing number of consumers are scrutinizing ingredients and production methods.

E-mart24 recently launched the Seongsu310 Milk Sarreu cream bread and four varieties of Seongsu310 processed milk, according to industry sources Monday. Both products focus on elevating the quality of a familiar ingredient: milk.

The cream bread uses domestically sourced dairy cream to bring out a richer milk flavor. The filling's viscosity was adjusted for a smoother texture, and the filling equipment was upgraded to distribute cream evenly to the edges of each bun. A sponge-fermentation method was applied to the dough to keep it soft through the product's shelf life.

The four processed milk varieties push raw milk content to 70 percent. Most processed milk products on the market contain 30 to 60 percent raw milk, making the Seongsu310 line a notable step up in dairy concentration.

Sales results have been strong. The Seongsu310 cream bread posted a 23 percent week-on-week sales increase over the two weeks from Aug. 24 to Sept. 6, and has ranked first in E-mart24's dessert category since its launch.

E-mart24 plans to continue a two-track strategy, pairing trend-driven products with ones built on quality fundamentals. The aim is to attract new customers through popular items like Dujjonku and butter rice cake while driving repeat purchases with products that emphasize superior ingredients and production methods.

"Convenience store desserts now need to deliver on taste, ingredients and texture — not just novelty," an E-mart24 official said. "We will keep introducing products that reflect trends while also bringing customers back."