Healthy Use of Leisure Time... Mini Garden Sets Selling Like Hotcakes
Permill's Herb Garden Set Sales Up 343%
SSG.com Gardening Tool Sales Also Jump 1012.6% Year-on-Year
[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Saeng-hye] Im Doohwan (33), who lives in Songpa-gu, Seoul, recently set up a mini garden set on the terrace of his newlywed home. He purchased a lettuce and arugula garden set online for around 40,000 won, laid soil in small pots, and became deeply engrossed in the joy of planting seeds and growing them himself. Although he refrains from going out due to fear of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), the fun of growing vegetables keeps his time at home from being boring.
Shin Haneul (34), residing in Jongno-gu, Seoul, uses a plant cultivation device in the living room to grow leafy vegetables for cooking. Since there is no need to find a sunny spot, and he does not have to shop every time he cooks, his satisfaction is high.
As the spread of COVID-19 prolongs, the number of people reducing outings for leisure activities has greatly increased. Instead, many have started enjoying new leisure lifestyles by decorating spaces previously used as storage, such as balconies, terraces, and utility rooms, into mini gardens. In particular, recently, golf player Park Seri and actress Kyung Soo-jin have revealed their own mini gardens through the media, leading to a surge in sales of garden sets on open markets.
According to the specialty food platform 'Permill' on the 2nd, sales of cultivation kits surged 286% from mid to late last month (June 16?June 30) compared to immediately after launch (June 1?June 15). Sales of herb garden sets increased by 343%, mushroom cultivation kits by 282%, and cat grass cultivation kits also rose by 57% compared to right after release.
SSG.com’s sales of gardening tools last month increased by a whopping 1012.6% compared to the previous year. Sales of insecticides and nutrients rose 166.8%, soil and gravel (soil) sales increased 128.1%, flowerpots and pot trays sales grew 125%, and overall gardening category sales rose 125% year-on-year.
On Gmarket, sales of garden sets last month increased by 130% compared to the same period last year. Sales of seeds, seedlings, and saplings rose 85%, seed sales increased 55%, and seedling sales surged 155%. Sales of sprout cultivation devices, which allow easy indoor plant growing, also increased by 43%. On 11st, sprout cultivation device transactions rose 88% last month compared to the previous year, and sales of flowerpot nutrients and fertilizers increased by 16%.
According to the comprehensive health appliance brand Wells, the rental service for the home plant cultivation device Wells Farm has recently gained great popularity. Its sales in the first quarter of this year increased more than fivefold compared to the same period last year. Wells Farm is a rental product that combines a plant cultivation device with a vegetable seedling delivery service. Seedlings grown safely in a sterile and pesticide-free environment are regularly delivered every two months to be grown and consumed using the cultivation device.
An industry insider said, "Garden sets priced between 10,000 and 30,000 won, consisting of seeds, pots, soil, and gardening tools, as well as artificial turf, have been continuously gaining popularity recently," adding, "Since it allows people to enjoy their leisure time healthily and without boredom while also providing an interior decoration effect, it seems that young people in their 20s and 30s are especially interested."
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