"Record-Breaking Biggest Discounts" ... Department Stores and E-Commerce Target 'Family Month' Special Sales

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] Last spring, the retail sector suffered a severe blow due to the spread of COVID-19, but this year, ahead of the 'Family Month' in May, it has launched a discount competition. Department stores have added extra discounts on top of basic price reductions, while large supermarkets, already competing for the lowest prices on daily necessities and processed foods, have prepared 'special price products' and 'half-price products' mainly focused on toys. The e-commerce industry is also expanding discount ranges across various items and launching large-scale sales promotion events.

Double the Usual Benefits on Cosmetics Purchases... Toy and Massage Chair Discounts at Marts

Lotte Department Store will hold a 'Cosmetic Fair' featuring 42 cosmetic brands at stores nationwide from the 30th of this month to the 9th of next month. During the event, customers who join the 'Beauty Plus' club on the Lotte Department Store app will receive 7-15% discounts as well as a 10% department store mobile gift certificate. Additional gift certificates of 5-10% and mileage accumulation are also available depending on the brand. About 60 types of cosmetic gift sets will also be offered during the event.

Lee Jae-ok, Head of Merchandise at Lotte Department Store, said, "May is an important month when many customers visit department stores to express gratitude through gifts," adding, "When applying all ongoing discount benefits on cosmetics and perfumes, customers can receive more than double the usual benefits."

Hyundai Department Store will offer up to 50% discounts on children's clothing, furniture, and toys at its main store from the 30th to May 5th. At the Sinchon branch, products from 10 children's clothing brands such as Blue Dog and Allobot will be sold at up to 20% off.

During the same period, Hyundai Premium Outlet Gimpo will offer an additional 10-20% discount on outlet prices for imported children's clothing brands, including French brand Bon Tong, at its overseas children's clothing select shop.

Shinsegae Department Store will also hold a 'Perfume Fair' offering discounts on various perfume products. At Times Square, a 'Gourmet Week' event will be held, selling Shinsegae Group's food products at special prices.

Large supermarkets will offer discounts on toys and massage chairs. Emart will select one Lego product daily for a special daily discount from the 30th to May 5th, and from the 29th to May 12th, will offer up to 200,000 KRW off massage chairs and massagers targeting Parents' Day.

Lotte Mart will offer over 1,000 toy items at up to half price at Toys "R" Us stores nationwide until May 5th. Lego block toys will be discounted up to 40%, Disney and Frozen products up to 50%, and Barbie products up to 40% off.

Lotte On Offers 20% + 10% Additional Discounts... eBay Prepares for Largest Ever 'Big Smile Day'

Lotte Group's integrated shopping mall 'Lotte On' is holding the 'Refresh the World' event until the 2nd of next month to celebrate its first anniversary. About 20,000 sellers are participating, offering approximately 40 million products at up to 50% off. During the event, a 20% discount coupon is available, and an additional 10% discount coupon is given to the first 5,000 customers daily at 7 PM. Payments made via L.Pay return 20% in L.Points, and there are also 10% instant card discounts depending on the day of the week.

Unique products are also featured. A 'KB Domestic Stock Voucher' usable for stock purchases is sold at a 10% discount. For BMW 5 Series vehicle consultation, customers who apply for consultation through Lotte On and purchase a BMW vehicle within next month will receive a one-year special membership at Kolon Resort and a vehicle air purifier as gifts.

11st will hold the '11st Nationwide Shopping Festival' until the 5th of next month, selling 5.7 million products from about 8,000 sellers. Depending on the product, customers can receive two '10% discount coupons (for purchases over 50,000 KRW)' saving up to 200,000 KRW and two '15% discount coupons (for purchases over 5,000 KRW)' saving up to 7,000 KRW.

Popular products such as 'Apple AirPods Pro,' 'Dyson Volume and Shape Refurbished,' 'Rene Blue by Walkerhill Accommodation Voucher,' 'LG Styler,' and 'Balmuda New Toaster' will be offered at special prices up to 69% off four times daily (11 AM, 3 PM, 7 PM, 11 PM). A shocking '100 KRW Deal' lottery, where electric scooters, electric bicycles, and electric kickboards can be purchased for just 100 KRW using SK Pay, will be held twice daily.

eBay Korea, currently undergoing a sale process, plans to hold the 'Big Smile Day' event on a larger scale than usual for nine days starting from the 10th of next month.

Started in 2017, Big Smile Day is the largest domestic online shopping event involving Gmarket, Auction, and G9, all operated by eBay Korea. It has gained a reputation for unparalleled discount benefits and product lineup during the two annual events in May and November. Until November last year, the cumulative sales volume over six Big Smile Day events reached 180 million units. The November 2020 event recorded an average daily sales volume of 3.4 million units and about 140,000 units sold per hour.

For this year's event, eBay Korea has significantly relaxed participation conditions so that small and micro sellers with competitive prices and excellent products can easily join regardless of sales scale.