Sales of Retro Products from January to May This Year Increased by 53% Compared to August to December Last Year
Sales of Retro Snacks like Jjondeugi and Oranda Up 184%
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Yuri] Products with a 'Retro' sentiment that revive old memories are attracting attention even in the fresh food distribution industry.
Market Kurly analyzed the sales volume of about 70 retro products from January to May this year and found that it increased by approximately 53% compared to August to December last year. Compared to January to May last year, sales grew by 370%, largely due to the number of retro-related products increasing fivefold this year.
The retro category with the highest sales volume is snacks, which saw a 184% increase. Snacks such as Jjondeugi, Oranda, Dalgona, and Ppeongtwigi?popular treats once bought at stationery stores in front of elementary schools?are especially popular. Among them, Jjondeugi accounts for 55% of retro snack sales, making it the most favored product. Reflecting this customer demand, Market Kurly sells various Jjondeugi products made from grains, konjac, corn, pumpkin, and more.
Besides snacks, bakery items like Mammoth bread, sausage bread, and chrysanthemum bread, retro-packaged ice cream, and nostalgic snack products with an elementary school concept such as tteokbokki have also seen significant sales growth. In retro bakery items, the old-fashioned Mammoth bread accounts for 36% of sales, indicating its popularity.
Many ready-to-eat meals also embrace the retro trend. Various products such as whole chicken, noodles, and lunch boxes are marketed with the word 'old-fashioned' in their product names, attracting consumer interest. In particular, Ottogi’s old-fashioned noodle product’s sales growth rate was more than six times higher than that of other noodles. Market Kurly’s Jeong Mi-kyung old-fashioned lunch box, which includes pink round sausages, rolled eggs, and stir-fried kimchi, recreates the feeling of meals eaten at school during childhood and has become very popular.
Market Kurly is also offering non-food retro concept products. Since the second half of last year, they have been selling oven toasters, mugs, and Bluetooth speakers designed with a nostalgic feel. For example, the mug featuring the seal character from the coffee brand 'Fritz' drawn with retro sentiment has seen sales increase more than 2.5 times this year.
Market Kurly plans to expand related products in the future, believing that retro products can satisfy both middle-aged and MZ generation customers. For middle-aged customers, it offers the joy of rediscovering products they liked in the past, while for the MZ generation, it provides novelty and uniqueness. A company representative said, "Looking at actual customer reviews, many say things like 'I ordered because it reminded me of the old days,' 'The taste is just as I remember,' and 'My kids also find it fun and eat it well.'"
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