Why Taiwanese Moms Are Crazy About Korean 'Tteokppung'

The 'K-Commerce' Wave... Popular Products Enthralling Taiwanese Consumers

Coupang has officially launched its 'Rocket Direct Purchase' service in Taiwan, drawing attention to Korean products gaining popularity among Taiwanese consumers. Through this service, customers across Taiwan can quickly receive millions of Korean products without bearing shipping costs. In particular, small business owners and SMEs in Korea can explore new overseas markets through Coupang without additional procedures, making it important to understand Taiwanese consumer preferences.

According to Coupang on the 6th, popular direct purchase items sought by local consumers in Taiwan's e-commerce industry include food products such as rice crackers and ramen, baby wipes and high chairs for childcare, and health supplements like probiotics.

Notably, rice crackers produced by Korean SMEs are gaining great popularity in Taiwan. The baby snack 'Naeiae Organic Rice Puff 6-piece Set' made by the Korean SME Naeiae under the same brand name ranks high in sales on Coupang's Rocket Direct Purchase. It is described as a snack suitable for babies around 12 months old and is gaining popularity among Taiwanese housewives through word of mouth. This is understandable since rice crackers are more popular as a common snack in Taiwan and the greater Chinese region than in Korea. Both China and Taiwan rank within the top three export destinations for Korean rice crackers. An industry insider said, "Korean rice crackers are highlighted as low-calorie snacks with low sugar content and are widely consumed as snacks for infants, diet foods, and for diabetic patients."

Baby wipes from Korean SMEs such as Angblanc and Soonsu Korea, as well as childcare products like high chairs for infants, are also popular. A local industry buyer explained, "Among Taiwanese consumers, Korean baby products are perceived as high quality yet reasonably priced."

Korean probiotic products are also highly popular in Taiwan. Representative products include Chong Kun Dang Health's probiotic powder sticks 'Lacto-Fit Raw Probiotics Slim' and 'Lacto-Fit Raw Probiotics Gold 80.' Taiwan places great importance on well-being, with one in four citizens consuming health supplements daily, and health authorities promoting campaigns recommending a daily intake of 30 billion probiotics, which appears related to the popularity of Korean probiotics. A local industry insider said, "The Taiwanese probiotics market is fiercely competitive between foreign and domestic brands. Consumers tend to purchase based on quality rather than price, which is why high-quality Korean products are popular."

The industry regards Coupang's launch of Rocket Direct Purchase and Rocket Delivery as significant for opening overseas markets for Korean small business owners and SMEs. More than half of the products sold by Coupang in Taiwan are from SMEs. Korean SMEs aiming to expand their markets globally can accelerate exports through services like Coupang's Rocket Direct Purchase.

Professor Yeo Junsang of Dongguk University's Department of Business Administration said, "Korea and Taiwan share many commonalities such as small territories, a population sensitive to change, high purchasing power, and strong interest in online shopping, making Coupang's Rocket Delivery model likely to succeed. Coupang's entry into Taiwan is meaningful as it represents exporting a Rocket Delivery business model that was born and succeeded in Korea, beyond the traditional export of manufactured goods or content."