As COVID-19 Cases Rise... CU's Delivery Service Usage Increases 2.5 Times

CU announced on the 2nd that it will hold a major discount event this month across all seven delivery channels.

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Chun-han] Recently, as the number of COVID-19 confirmed cases has increased, the usage rate of convenience store delivery services has significantly risen.

According to CU on the 2nd, as confirmed cases surged sharply last month following the phased recovery of daily life, the number of delivery orders increased by 197.7% compared to the previous year. Considering that the average monthly growth rate this year is around 90%, this is a notably high increase. In particular, during the last week of November, when the Omicron variant was reported, the number of orders soared up to 2.5 times.

The peak times for delivery service usage were lunch (11 AM to 1 PM) and dinner (5 PM to 7 PM), accounting for 25.4% and 30.8% respectively, making up more than half of all deliveries. This is analyzed to be due to more people avoiding crowded places such as restaurants and cafes and opting to have meals indoors. The most popular products were snacks, accounting for 14.2% of total sales. This was followed by ramen at 10.8%, carbonated drinks at 9.7%, coffee at 8.4%, and instant meals at 8.1%.

CU is conducting a large-scale discount event across all seven delivery channels this month. On Yogiyo, Wemakeprice O, and Payco Order, a 3,000 KRW discount is applied for purchases over 20,000 KRW, while on Naver Smart Order, Kakao Order, Baedal Teukgeup, and OWIN vehicle pickup, a 3,000 KRW discount is offered for purchases over 10,000 KRW.

A BGF Retail official stated, “As the quarantine authorities raised the COVID-19 risk level mainly in the metropolitan area, increasing tension in daily life, the number of convenience store delivery orders is again on the rise. We are focusing on enhancing the quality of delivery services by expanding discount promotions and strengthening the product lineup to support customers’ economical and healthy shopping.”