As Prices Soar... CU Sees 49.3% Increase in Subscription Coupon Usage

A customer is using a subscription coupon at the convenience store CU.

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Chun-han] Recently, as grocery prices have surged, the number of users utilizing convenience store subscription coupon services that offer discounts on popular products is increasing.

According to CU on the 20th, the use of subscription coupon services from January to May this year increased by 49.3% compared to the previous year, and coupon usage last month surged by 68.9% year-on-year.

CU's subscription coupons are a service where customers pay a monthly subscription fee of 1,000 to 4,000 KRW for the desired category among about 20 categories such as lunch boxes, salads, and instant brewed coffee through the membership application (app) PocketCU, allowing them to receive discounts a set number of times both online and offline.

In particular, ready-to-eat meals such as lunch boxes, triangular kimbap, and sandwiches are popular. Users can use the service 10 times a month at a 20% discounted price, making it frequently used by office workers and students who solve their meals at convenience stores. In fact, last month, the growth rate of subscription coupon usage was highest in office districts and university areas, at 126.1% and 98.4%, respectively.

A BGF Retail official said, “In PocketCU, customers can check the stock of desired products by store, and subscription coupons can also be used for online payments such as delivery, pickup, and pre-order purchases, so usage is steadily increasing,” adding, “We will continue to introduce subscription coupons that maximize customer benefits by analyzing purchasing trends in the future.”