"Special Sales for China Singles' Day" K-Beauty & Food Limited Editions Launch

Amore, LG Household & Health Care, Aekyung Prepare Discount Events for Planned Sets
CJ CheilJedang Focuses on Bibigo and HMR... Domestic Companies Strive to Boost Sales

[Asia Economy reporters Yujin Cho and Saekhye Choi] Competition among domestic beauty and food industries targeting the online shopping festival Guanggunje (November 11), hosted by China's largest e-commerce company Alibaba, is heating up.

◆ K-Beauty "Showcasing Korean Style to China" = According to related industries on the 4th, major domestic cosmetics companies such as Amorepacific, LG Household & Health Care, Aekyung Industrial, and Shinsegae International have launched various special sets on Tmall’s brand direct stores and started discount promotions in preparation for Guanggunje.

LG Household & Health Care is participating in the Guanggunje event focusing on a total of eight brands including Whoo, Su:m, O Hui, belif, and Sooryehan. They are aiming to boost sales through Guanggunje special planning sets for each brand and live broadcasts featuring popular Wanghong (influencers).

An LG Household & Health Care official said, "We plan to enhance brand image and attract attention by displaying a sculpture of the representative product 'Whoo Bicheop Ja Saeng Essence' on Tmall’s main page along with a brand video combining Seoul’s cityscape and palaces."

Amorepacific linked its flagship brand Sulwhasoo’s key products to the Guanggunje-themed campaign 'The Secret of Ageless Beauty.' They produced special video content and launched celebrity campaigns mainly on Xiaohongshu, Douyin, and Weibo. They are selling limited sets including four luxury sets centered on Jaumsaeng Essence and two limited editions of Yunjo Essence. Amorepacific expects this to be a catalyst for recovering sales in China, riding the wave of an 80% growth in luxury brand sales through online channels during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Aekyung Industrial is conducting discount events for popular products in China such as Age 20’s Essence Cover Pact and Luna Long Lasting Tip Concealer, and is introducing one Guanggunje-exclusive planning set and one collaboration planning set. Shinsegae International is also participating in the Guanggunje event through Yeonjak and VDVC. VDVC has prepared specialized limited edition planning sets for popular Chinese online channels such as Tmall and JD.com for this year’s Guanggunje event.

◆ K-Food, Expecting Record-Breaking Sales = The food industry is also engaging in Guanggunje marketing by showcasing home meal replacements (HMR), which have rapidly grown since the COVID-19 impact, and highly rated ramen products known for their taste.

CJ CheilJedang plans to focus on selling Bibigo dumplings, soup dishes, and Hetbahn Cupban porridge on JD.com and Tmall. Their goal is to achieve more than double last year’s sales. Last year, CJ CheilJedang recorded sales of 2.3 billion KRW, a fourfold increase from the previous year, by focusing on Bibigo Wang Gyoja and other HMR products.

Nongshim, which recorded its highest-ever sales during last year’s Guanggunje, will sell Guanggunje set products featuring bestsellers such as Shin Ramyun, Chapagetti, and Ansungtangmyun. They hired popular Chinese actor Zhang Xingsheng as a model. Nongshim expects to achieve better results than last year through this year’s Guanggunje, as demand for Nongshim products in China continues to grow steadily and investments in expanding sales regions and distribution channels have been largely completed.

Samyang Foods will again promote 'Buldak Bokkeum Myun' as its main product this year. Samyang’s Buldak brand achieved the highest sales among domestic food products during last year’s Guanggunje, surpassing Nongshim’s Shin Ramyun as a single item. With the popularity of the Buldak brand, Jjajjaroni, and Kimchi Ramen, Samyang Foods recorded sales of 4.4 billion KRW in one day during last year’s Guanggunje.

A Samyang Foods official said, "We released the 'Buldak Bokkeum Myun Guanggunje Limited Edition Package' ahead of Guanggunje," adding, "We will accelerate marketing activities by conducting events through popular Chinese celebrity Kwak Kirin, who signed a promotional model contract in June."

Orion is producing and selling snack gift sets (pies, potato snacks) and engaging in discount promotions and coupon giveaways. Orion has maintained sales growth focused on new products such as pie line extensions, nut bars, and seaweed snacks, in addition to steady sellers like Choco Pie and potato snacks in China.

Meanwhile, Guanggunje, known as the Chinese version of Black Friday, recorded total transaction amounts exceeding 44 trillion KRW in one day last year. A distribution industry official said, "This year’s Guanggunje has extended the event period and expanded the scale compared to previous years, raising domestic companies’ expectations significantly."