SEOUL: According to Statistics Korea, the amount spent on online shopping in 2023 was 227.35 trillion won (170.8 billion US dollars), an increase of 8.3 percent from the previous year. That was the highest since pertinent data started to be gathered in 2001. Due to the growing practice of giving e-coupons as gifts, such as coffee and cake, the demand for travel and transportation services increased 44.0 percent online, while e-coupon transactions increased 34.9 percent online. The demand for agricultural products increased by 14.3 percent, while food and beverage transactions in cyberspace increased by 12.1%.
Online purchases of furniture, automobile parts, cosmetics, and household goods all went up last year, while those of computers, home appliances, and sports equipment went down.
Smartphone-based mobile shopping surged 7.0% annually in 2023 to reach 167.83 trillion won (126 billion dollars).
