Traditional liquor goes mobile: order online, pick up at GS25

Consumers will soon be able to order traditional Korean liquor on their phones and pick it up at a nearby convenience store, as a new distribution partnership moves to expand that service. Products that perform well online may also be rolled out to brick-and-mortar stores. The initiative is designed to make purchasing easier for consumers while opening new sales channels for regional breweries that have struggled to reach the market.

The Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation, known as aT, announced Tuesday that it signed an MOU with GS Retail on Thursday at GS Tower in Seoul to boost traditional liquor consumption and expand distribution for regional breweries.

Under the agreement, aT will identify and recommend outstanding traditional liquors — including winners of the "Woori Sul" (Korean liquor) competition — along with noteworthy regional breweries. It will also supply information and promotional content related to its "brewery visit" program.

GS Retail will use its nationwide retail network and online platform to drive traditional liquor sales and joint marketing campaigns.

The partnership will initially leverage Wine25Plus, GS Retail's online liquor order-and-pickup service. Customers can browse traditional liquor offerings and place orders on their phones, then collect their purchases at the nearest GS25 convenience store.

Based on online sales performance, the two organizations also plan to select competitive products and expand their availability to offline stores, including GS25 and GS The Fresh supermarkets.

Online promotion will be stepped up as well. GS Retail plans to open a dedicated traditional liquor section on its online platform this month and add a "brewery visit" corner next month.

Seasonal themed sales events and customer participation programs are also planned, and the two sides are discussing a joint year-end promotional event. They also agreed to cooperate in developing traditional liquors made with locally grown produce and in nurturing local brands.

"For quality traditional liquors to keep growing, it is essential to have a distribution infrastructure that lets consumers easily discover and buy products," said Jeon Gi-chan, aT's director of food exports. "Through our cooperation with GS Retail, we will support the practical expansion of sales channels for regional breweries and help invigorate traditional liquor consumption."