Half-Portion 'Sosikjwa' Cupbap with Half the Usual Lunchbox Size
Half-Bottle Wine Reduced to Half a Bottle
Popularity of 'Sosik Trend' Aligning with Single-Person Households and Value Consumption
[Asia Economy Reporter Jeon Jinyoung] Convenience stores, which have focused on ‘cost-effective’ products sold in large quantities at low prices, have recently started to turn their attention to small portions. The strategy targets the main customers of convenience stores?single-person households?and the trend of eating small portions aligned with value consumption.
According to the industry on the 10th, GS25 introduced two types of cup rice bowls, ‘Cheese Bulgogi Cupbap’ and ‘Chicken Mayo Cupbap,’ on the 1st, reducing the weight to less than half of the existing lunch boxes. These products are aimed at so-called ‘Sosikja’ who have small appetites and cannot eat much. Reflecting the characteristic of dividing one regular lunch box into two or three meals, GS25 separately developed and applied a relatively easy-to-store cupbap container. About 60,000 units of these lunch boxes were sold from the 2nd to the 8th, the first week after launch, which is similar to the popularity level when regular lunch boxes were first released, indicating that the small portion trend has also been embraced by consumers.
CU launched ‘Half-bottle Wine,’ which reduces the volume of wine by half, last month and introduced ‘Banchan Han-kki,’ an offline store-exclusive small portion side dish. Reflecting the increasing demand for small-packaged side dishes, CU expanded the variety by releasing bacon egg roll and shrimp steamed egg on the 9th. Sales of Banchan Han-kki increased by 12.7% compared to the previous month during the week from the 2nd to the 8th, and sales of Half-bottle Wine grew by 74.1% recently compared to two weeks after its launch.
Seven Eleven also specially produced ‘Cetaphil’ lotion and moisturizing cream with 2 to 4 times smaller volume than regular products on the market. The combination of new small portion products and seasonal effects led to a 70% increase in moisturizing cream sales compared to the previous month during the same period.
Emart24 is also joining the small portion trend by expanding cut fruit products such as individually packaged peeled apple slices and cup fruits mixed with tomato and pineapple. Sales of cut fruits increased by 29% year-on-year from the 2nd to the 8th, which is more than twice the growth rate of regular fruit sales.
This trend is analyzed to target the newly spreading small portion culture centered on single-person households and the MZ generation (Millennials + Generation Z), the main customers of convenience stores. This year, single-person households increased by 7.9% year-on-year to 522,000 households, with those in their 20s accounting for the highest proportion at 19.8%. In addition, the small portion culture, which became a hot topic centered on famous celebrities such as Kim Sohyun and Sandara Park, aligns with value consumption that reduces food waste and disposal by purchasing only what is needed, gaining popularity.
An industry official said, "Recently, consumption trends considering the environment and health are spreading from the 20s and 30s to the 40s and 50s," adding, "The small portion craze is expected to continue for the time being."
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