"Captured Middle-Aged and Older Generations Too" KakaoTalk Gift Transactions Soar

[Asia Economy Reporter Bu Aeri] As non-face-to-face (untact) shopping has become the 'trend' due to COVID-19, the customs of holiday gift-giving have changed. With the culture of easily sending and receiving gifts via mobile devices taking root, the usage among middle-aged and older adults who were not familiar with online shopping is also increasing.

Kakao has greatly benefited from the Lunar New Year surge due to COVID-19. According to Kakao Commerce on the 12th, during the three weeks just before the Lunar New Year holiday (January 20 to February 9), the transaction amount on 'Kakao Gift' increased by 68.4% compared to the previous year.

Kakao Commerce holds various events every holiday season to attract users. This Lunar New Year, Kakao Commerce is running the 'Exciting Tokdeal, Daily Coupons' event until the 14th. This event is for customers who want to purchase food, fashion, daily necessities, and home appliances during the holiday period while staying at home.

This event is conducted using KakaoTalk Shopping's group purchase service 'Tokdeal' for two or more people. It introduces a variety of daily necessities at limited-time special prices every day, ranging from seasonal fresh foods like Jeju Cheonhyehyang oranges, easy-to-cook foods such as Fresh Easy meal kits, home appliances like Electrolux cordless vacuum cleaners, to camping gear.

A Kakao Commerce official explained, "We considered the increased demand for online grocery shopping due to COVID-19 and the social atmosphere of safely spending the holiday indoors rather than dining out or outdoor activities."

One notable point during this Lunar New Year holiday period is the remarkable increase in online shopping usage among the 50s and 60s age groups. According to Kakao Commerce, users in their 50s and 60s using 'KakaoTalk Gift' more than doubled compared to the previous year. The 50s age group surged by about 104%, and the 60s by about 114%. Additionally, the transaction amount of gifts sent by users in their 30s and 40s to those in their 50s and 60s grew by 88% year-on-year.

Kakao Commerce analyzed that middle-aged and older adults aged 50 and above naturally entered the mobile market due to COVID-19, expanding the customer base for holiday gift services. A Kakao Commerce official stated, "It seems that the demand for non-face-to-face gifts increased because people could not visit their hometowns or gather with family and relatives due to social distancing."