Oasis Market, from Eco-Friendly Packaging Boxes to 'Self Refund'

Early Morning Delivery Services Launch One After Another

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] Oasis Market introduced an 'eco-friendly packaging box selection system' from the very beginning when it first launched its dawn delivery service in August 2018. At that time, dawn delivery products from other companies were generally delivered in white Styrofoam boxes with ice packs. Oasis Market was the first to introduce paper boxes for dawn delivery. They also implemented a system to collect and recycle the delivered paper boxes and allowed customers to choose recycled packaging boxes during the ordering process.

The cooling packs placed inside the paper boxes contain only bottled water as a refrigerant to prevent environmental pollution. When the cooling pack melts, it can be torn open and poured directly down the drain. Since last year, reusable cooling baskets have been introduced mainly in the Gangnam area of Seoul. If customers place the cooling packs in front of their door, delivery staff transfer the products delivered in refrigerated vehicles directly into these baskets.

In the increasingly competitive dawn delivery market, the industry-first 'self-refund' service introduced to retain loyal customers also draws attention. This method allows customers to decide the refund amount themselves if there is a problem during product delivery or if they are unsatisfied with the product. Fresh food is inherently difficult to return, and all collected products must be discarded. Returns and collections incur costs and take time.

For example, if a customer orders a 10-egg carton from Oasis Market and one egg is broken upon delivery, the customer can take a photo and upload it via the website or app, specifying a 10% refund. There is no need to call customer service or send an email, enabling quick refund processing.

Junhyung Ahn, CEO of Oasis, explained, "When we first introduced this service, there were concerns that it might create black consumers, but since customers trust us, the company decided to trust customers as well." He added, "As a result, there has never been any abuse, and rather, it has prevented unnecessary resource waste during the return process and reduced customer service (CS) workload, showing very positive effects."