Nina Jobst
Research expert covering South Korea
Mobile commerce in South Korea - statistics & facts
Known as a country well-connected to the internet, South Korea is well accustomed to e-commerce, with most people opting for mobile shopping over other online channels. Completing daily shopping activities, such as booking flight tickets or paying bills, with ease via mobile devices appeals to South Korean consumers who usually value convenience. This preference for mobile shopping transactions has also been transparent in the continuous rise in sales since 2010.
How is the generational shift influencing online shopping trends?
The rising sales volume of online shopping in the country is unsurprising given its prominent levels of mobile phone internet user penetration. In particular, e-retail has shown a clear gap in technology adeptness between younger and older generations. Across all age groups, 20- to 39-year-olds held the highest share of online shoppers. As younger generations of shoppers become old enough to take part in the market, it is expected that their behavior will influence market trends at large. One such trend is shopping via social media, boosting the importance of social media advertising strategies and user-generated content.Paid shopping memberships
For South Korean retailers, it is common to offer extra services, such as expedited deliveries or exclusive discounts, via their mobile application memberships. South Korean consumers are usually willing to pay extra for such services. In 2023, over half of all mobile shoppers were found to have used paid membership services. As a paid membership services, Rocket WOW, a service by Coupang, had the highest usage rate among paid mobile shopping apps in South Korea that year. Aside from fast deliveries, users of Rocket WOW also gain access to the platform’s video streaming service Coupang Play. Coupang, also called the “Korean Amazon”, was also the most popular online shopping website in 2024.Digitalization of retail
The trends we see in mobile commerce are indicative of the digitalization of the retail market in the broader sense. Mobile applications linked to credit cards or debit cards came second to credit cards as the most popular form of payment when shopping online in South Korea. The share of mobile easy payments in total digital payment transactions in the country recorded ongoing increases. As moving around the online sphere becomes easier and faster and younger generations enter the market, traditional methods of payment and retailing are expected to become even less popular.
