Changes in Lifestyle Patterns Lead to Changes in Mart Operating Hours and Methods
Emart Shortens Operating Hours Due to Early Leave
Homeplus Immediate Delivery in the Morning Causes 1 Hour Earlier Opening
Changes in consumer lifestyle patterns are transforming the operating hours and overall management of supermarkets. Influenced by the 52-hour workweek, a culture that values work-life balance (WLB), and the post-COVID-19 shift in home-cooked meal trends, supermarkets are adjusting their online and offline operating hours while also evolving the content that makes up the stores.
According to the distribution industry on the 3rd, Emart will adjust the closing time of its nationwide stores from 11 PM to 10 PM starting next month on the 3rd. This measure comes as the proportion of customers visiting stores at night has decreased, while the share of customers during peak hours has increased. Four stores with high nighttime visitors and foot traffic?Wangsimni, Jayang, Yongsan, and Sinchon?will operate until 10:30 PM.
The proportion of customers visiting Emart stores after 10 PM dropped from 4.4% in 2020 to 3.0% in 2022. As the 52-hour workweek became established and a social atmosphere emphasizing WLB formed, people started leaving work earlier, advancing the time they visit large supermarkets. While nighttime visits decreased, customer concentration during peak hours increased. An analysis of store sales by time slot from 2020 to 2022 showed that 2 PM to 6 PM had the highest share. On weekdays, it accounted for 40%, and on weekends, nearly half. The share of sales from 2 PM to 6 PM increased by 0.3 percentage points on weekdays and 1.4 percentage points on weekends in 2022 compared to 2020.
An Emart representative said, "For stores operating until 11 PM, the overlapping working hours between morning shift workers (9 AM to 5 PM) and afternoon shift workers (3 PM to 11 PM) were just over two hours. With the adjusted operating hours, the time they work together will increase to 3 to 4 hours, enabling quicker customer service during the afternoon peak before dinner preparation, as well as faster product and store maintenance."
Homeplus saw positive results by moving up the opening time of its Homeplus Express one-hour online delivery service, ‘Instant Delivery,’ to 10 AM. This change also reflects consumer purchasing patterns. Homeplus explained, "Analysis of online customer data showed that 11 AM is the time with the highest number of orders during the day. We detected high demand for online grocery shopping in the morning hours and moved the opening time one hour earlier at some stores first." Instant Delivery sales at 153 stores that changed their opening time to 10 AM grew by 66% from December last year to last month compared to April to June of the previous year. Sales between 10 and 11 AM also increased by about 60% during the same period. Homeplus plans to expand the number of stores opening Instant Delivery at 10 AM to 180 by the 2023 fiscal year (March 2023 to February 2024).
Changes in consumer lifestyle patterns have altered not only supermarket operating hours but also operating methods. While simple grocery shopping demand is dispersing online, customers visiting offline stores seek family-oriented entertainment, leading to an evolution into ‘family experience theme parks.’ Starting with Wolgye store in 2020, Emart has renewed 36 stores up to last year, strengthening customer experience elements and expanding content targeted at specific customer groups per store. By expanding fresh food sections that customers prefer to see before buying and attracting popular restaurants, kids’ education, and play cafes, Emart transformed stores into ‘small local Starfields (shopping malls),’ driving sales growth. This year, Emart plans to renovate 18 stores, including Yeonsu. Homeplus also renewed 17 stores nationwide into Mega Food Markets, achieving an average sales increase of over 20%. The inclusion of futsal courts, swimming pools, and theme parks alongside Homeplus stores is for this reason. Lotte Mart also expanded its MZ generation (Millennials + Generation Z) customer base by adding wine specialty shop-in-shops called ‘Bottle Bunker.’
An industry insider said, "Large supermarkets are adapting their online and offline services according to changes in customer lifestyle patterns and evolving customer demands by channel. Offline stores focus on experiential content, while online services emphasize shopping convenience and speed. They will continue to apply flexible operating hours and other measures to improve operational efficiency."
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