SSG.com expands 2-hour delivery service nationwide to boost grocery competitiveness

SSG.com announced Wednesday it is significantly expanding its 2-hour delivery service to sharpen its grocery competitiveness.

The e-commerce platform plans to grow the number of stores offering 2-hour delivery to 33 locations nationwide in October, adding coverage across Gangwon Province and the Chungcheong, Jeolla and Gyeongsang regions. It aims to reach 55 stores by year-end. The company's broader strategy is to build a comprehensive grocery delivery system by pairing scheduled options — including daytime and dawn delivery — with on-demand services such as 2-hour delivery and quick commerce.

The 2-hour delivery service allows customers to receive most E-mart products, including bulk items, within two hours of placing an order. Orders placed before 8 p.m. are eligible for same-day delivery. The service launched as a pilot at the Yangjae and Hanam stores in July before expanding to Busan, South Gyeongsang Province, Daegu, Daejeon and Sejong.

SSG.com said it is seeing strong demand for fast grocery delivery. SSG delivery sales at stores that had adopted the 2-hour service rose 10 percent year-on-year from Sept. 1 to Sunday. Bulk products proved especially popular — top-ordered items included six-packs of 2-liter water, 10-kilogram bags of rice, 30-egg cartons and 2.3-liter milk cartons in the food category, and 30-roll packs of toilet paper and 4-liter detergent bottles among everyday household goods.

Food accounted for 90 percent of total 2-hour delivery sales this month, with fresh produce — including eggs, zucchini and cherry tomatoes — making up roughly half of that. E-mart private-label products under the No Brand, Peacock and 5K Price brands also drew strong orders.

"We are continuously upgrading our delivery service so customers can receive the products they need when they want them," said Han Geon-su, SSG.com's head of supply chain management. "We will strengthen our online grocery competitiveness by organically combining scheduled and on-demand delivery."