Pocket CU Products Sold Out... Wine Reservation Service Also Popular
GS25 Delivery App 'Udil'... Orders Available for Mart Products Too
[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Chunhan] As Shinsegae Emart acquires Auction, causing a major upheaval in the e-commerce market, convenience stores are expanding their business beyond the limitations of offline stores through dedicated applications (apps) for e-commerce. They are aiming to expand the e-commerce market by selling products that are sold at convenience stores but not available in the stores themselves.
◆ CU expands product range through app = On the 30th, BGF Retail's e-commerce team within the product headquarters is selling a total of about 80 products on CU convenience store's app, ‘Pocket CU’. Although still in the early stages, they are selling products available in some large stores, such as National Geographic travel pouch sets, gimbal selfie sticks, neck pillows, portable chargers, waterproof pack sets, and carrier belts. The win-win e-commerce model that contributes to expanding sales channels for small and medium-sized enterprises is also noteworthy. By leveraging the fact that there are stores nationwide, they aim to serve as a platform to showcase excellent SME products at reasonable prices. Waffle pans and fish-shaped bread pans, launched earlier this year in line with the home cafe trend, sold more than 500 units within three days of launch. Potato bread, green onion bread, and corn bread, specialties of Gangwon Province introduced this month, also sold out.
CU Wine Shop, a liquor reservation service, is also expanding synergy through the app. While the existing convenience stores focus on low-priced wines under 30,000 KRW, the mobile app focuses on selling high-end wines. The app sells about 170 types of products, including 85 kinds of wine, as well as spirits, beer, and traditional liquors. This has broadened customers’ choices with a product lineup comparable to wine specialty stores and improved store sales and operational efficiency. CU Wine Shop sales have increased about tenfold compared to June last year, when the service was first introduced.
GS Retail has launched 'Udeal-Order,' a delivery-only mobile app for ordering from GS25 and GS Supermarket.
◆ GS Retail launches 2-hour delivery = GS Retail, which is about to merge with GS Home Shopping, has launched ‘Woodel-Order’ (Woodel app), a delivery-only mobile ordering app for GS25 and GS Supermarket. Although delivery orders were previously possible through Yogiyo or KakaoTalk Order, they have now released their own app. Through the Woodel app, customers can order delivery of about 1,100 GS25 products and about 3,500 Our Neighborhood Mart products.
GS Retail has bet on last-mile delivery (the final delivery segment to the customer) and quick commerce (immediate delivery). According to GS Retail, delivery times are significantly reduced when ordering through the Woodel app compared to using delivery platforms. GS Retail plans to implement delivery within two hours for consumers based on nationwide offline stores.
A GS Retail official said, "We plan to utilize more than 15,000 offline stores nationwide as logistics hub platforms for last-mile delivery," adding, "The Woodel app will quickly establish a foundation in the changing quick commerce market and play a central role in linking online and offline commerce."
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