Impact of COVID-19... Uncertainty Over Visiting Hometown
Surge in Pre-Orders for Chuseok Food Starting August
Online Food Delivery to Hometown, Products for Small Families Also Popular
[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Sunhye] "In the past, I used to buy Chuseok dishes from a side dish store near my house, but due to social distancing, this time I ordered Chuseok food directly from an online side dish mall to be delivered to my parents' home." Housewife Jin Eunseong (39) prepared Chuseok dishes through an online side dish store. She pre-ordered Jeon (Korean pancakes), Japchae (stir-fried glass noodles), and namul (seasoned vegetables) to be delivered on September 30, the day before the Chuseok holiday. The delivery address was her in-laws' house located in Gyeongsangnam-do. Due to the uncertainty of visiting her hometown caused by COVID-19, she decided to send holiday food to her hometown instead.
Housewife Han Jini (34), who holds ancestral rites in Seoul, decided to receive a ceremonial table set consisting of about 16 items such as fresh fruits, dried persimmons, and holiday vegetables via an online mall on the first day of the Chuseok holiday. Since the whole family gathers in one house, instead of shopping around and cooking, they decided to prepare the ceremonial food by ordering online.
The first Chuseok in the COVID era= On the 15th, online side dish malls are busy preparing holiday foods. As social distancing level 2 or higher continues, it has become difficult to confirm whether people will visit their hometowns this Chuseok, leading to an increase in orders for holiday foods online.
According to Dongwon Home Food, the online grocery market 'The Banchan&' advanced the start of Chuseok product sales by more than 10 days this year. Interest in Chuseok convenience foods surged, and the volume of holiday food was more than doubled compared to last year. The volume of ceremonial table sets, which are released every year, increased by 50%. The ceremonial table sets sold by The Banchan include premium convenience food sets that faithfully replicate traditional ceremonial tables with items such as dried jujubes, peeled chestnuts, dried persimmons, pears, glutinous rice sanja, white croaker grilled fish, beef skewers, signature assorted Jeon, and holiday vegetable packages. Reservations are accepted from the 7th to the 23rd, and all orders are delivered early morning on the 30th. For single-person households who cannot be with family during the holidays, small-scale products such as single-serving handmade assorted Jeon are also offered.
A Dongwon Home Food official said, "This year's Chuseok is expected to see a significant increase in consumers preparing holiday foods online as visiting hometowns has become difficult due to the spread of COVID-19 and it has become harder to prepare holiday foods by hand compared to previous years. In fact, since the social distancing level was raised to 2.5 at the end of August, daily orders for The Banchan& increased by about 38% compared to before, and the order volume is expected to increase even more during this Chuseok holiday period."
From August, "When will Chuseok food be sold?"= The side dish mall Jipbanchan Research Institute started pre-orders for holiday foods about 1 to 2 weeks earlier than last year. A representative from Jipbanchan Research Institute explained, "Due to the influx of inquiries about Chuseok food from August, we prepared gift sets and table settings a month in advance with the aim of selling in early September."
Following last year's 'Chuseok Hansang or Bansang' set for large families, this year they added 'Chuseok ceremonial table' and 'Chuseok small family table setting.' These have a form closer to a ceremonial table than the existing large family table settings and are designed to allow 1-2 person households to comfortably enjoy Chuseok food with small-scale configurations. A representative from Jipbanchan Research Institute said, "This reflects the needs of customers who find it regrettable to skip the ancestral rites but find it difficult to prepare a perfect ceremonial table."
Market Kurly also opened pre-orders for Chuseok table settings this year, unlike last year, preparing for the holiday in the COVID era. Market Kurly's Chuseok table settings consist of a total of 61 items, significantly increasing the variety compared to the previous year. Especially considering the difficulty of large family gatherings, they prepared table settings for families of 3-4 people and also sell single-pack products for individuals.
A Market Kurly official explained, "73% of customers chose the first day of the holiday, the 30th, as the date to receive Chuseok food." The best-selling product was 'Jeon,' accounting for 48% of total sales. The Chuseok table setting set, which includes steamed dishes, Jeon, Japchae, etc., allowing customers to efficiently prepare for the holiday, ranked second with 17%. Side dishes suitable for setting the table such as Japchae, Donggeurangttaeng (Korean meat patties), and namul ranked third, followed by galbijjim (braised short ribs) and soup products.
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