Retailers Gear Up for Chuseok with Early Gift Set Promotions

As Chuseok approaches in a month, the retail industry is accelerating efforts to capture demand for holiday gifts. In response to an earlier-than-usual Chuseok this year, department stores are expanding their pre-order selections and benefits, while convenience stores are broadening their offerings from budget-friendly items to unique high-end products.

According to the retail sector on August 23, Lotte, Shinsegae, and Hyundai department stores began pre-order sales for Chuseok gift sets on August 14. Lotte Department Store is offering over 190 items, including meat, seafood, fruits, and groceries, at discounts of up to 50% until September 3. Customers purchasing food gift sets will receive up to 7% in L.POINT or Lotte gift certificates based on their purchase amount until September 23.

Shinsegae Department Store is also running pre-orders for over 370 items until September 6, increasing the number of offerings by 25% compared to last year. SSG.com, the online platform for Shinsegae, will accept pre-orders until September 16. Hyundai Department Store is showcasing over 300 products, including Korean beef, dried fish, fruits, health foods, and alcoholic beverages, with some items discounted by up to 25% until September 3.

Convenience stores are differentiating their offerings by expanding price ranges. They are maintaining budget-friendly gift sets priced between 10,000 and 50,000 won while also introducing unique items costing millions of won.

CU has prepared over 710 types of Chuseok gifts this year, with the most expensive being a humanoid robot priced at 31 million won that walks on two legs. GS25 is also featuring a robot as a Chuseok gift, a social robot named 'Social Robot Riku' that recognizes users' expressions, voices, and gestures, priced at 5.5 million won.

Seven Eleven is selling keychains, card wallets, glassware, suitcases, and tumblers featuring the Hello Kitty intellectual property. Emart24 has created small packaged Korean beef sets targeting individuals spending the holiday alone.

The retail industry's early marketing efforts for Chuseok are influenced by the earlier holiday date and prolonged high inflation. This year's Chuseok falls on September 25, more than ten days earlier than last year's October 6. With a shorter preparation period, the competition for consumer pre-orders has intensified.

An industry insider noted, "As inflation continues, more consumers are considering pre-order discounts and membership benefits when preparing holiday gifts. Companies are also expanding pre-order benefits and enhancing product offerings to capture demand."