CJ CheilJedang's Convenient Cooking Seasoning 'Dadam' Surpasses 50 Billion KRW in Sales

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Saeng-hye] CJ CheilJedang's convenient cooking seasoning 'Dadam' is captivating consumers and leading the 'home-cooked meal' cooking trend.

CJ CheilJedang announced on the 29th that Dadam's sales recently surpassed 50 billion KRW. This represents approximately 17% growth compared to the same period last year, with 50 billion KRW corresponding to last year's annual sales figure. Based on this trend, sales are expected to approach 60 billion KRW by the end of the year.

Online sales also grew significantly, increasing by more than 40% compared to the previous year. Catering to the untact (contactless) culture, the company provided convenience to consumers by enabling the simultaneous purchase of ingredients and Dadam on fresh food online shopping malls.

The growth of Dadam appears to have accelerated in line with the expanding trend of 'naesik'?eating meals at home. As time spent at home increased due to remote work and other factors, the number of consumers cooking for themselves rose. Dadam's unique advantage of helping consumers enjoy complete meals easily and quickly matched the demand for convenience, gaining great popularity. In fact, while sales showed a similar trend to last year at the beginning of this year, they exploded from March onward, with sales in September increasing by about 40% compared to early this year.

Active experiential marketing activities also contributed to the growth. In August, various online and offline events were held, including the 'Dadam Manghan Cooking Challenge' to promote how easily meals can be prepared using Dadam. The product's key strengths?making cooking easier and being usable in various recipes?were actively leveraged, resulting in a high repurchase rate after experience.

CJ CheilJedang plans to further expand consumer touchpoints going forward. They intend to diversify sales channels centered on online platforms and plan to conduct various promotions such as discounts. Additionally, they aim to actively carry out experience-focused marketing activities so consumers can directly feel Dadam's unique advantages.

First introduced in 1997, Dadam did not initially attract much consumer attention but succeeded in capturing consumers' tastes through various efforts. It surpassed 10 billion KRW in annual sales in 2008 and recorded 30 billion KRW in sales in 2015, continuing steady growth. Based on this, Dadam holds a dominant position with over 70% market share in the domestic convenient seasoning market.