Male Hot Buns · Female Roasted Sweet Potatoes... Convenience Store Winter Snacks 'Popular'

Hoppang, 71% Male 29% Female
Gungoguma, 86% Female 14% Male
Targeting Consumers with Differentiated Products

As the cold weather continues recently, winter snacks at convenience stores are gaining great popularity. In particular, men tend to buy more Hoppang and fish cakes, while women prefer roasted sweet potatoes.

According to CU on the 15th, sales of Hoppang and roasted sweet potatoes increased by 350.6% and 32.3% respectively from the 1st to the 12th of this month compared to the previous year. During the same period, GS25 recorded sales growth rates of 158.1% for Hoppang, 32.5% for roasted sweet potatoes, and 70.8% for fish cakes. At 7-Eleven, Hoppang sales rose by 150%, roasted sweet potatoes by 30%, and fish cakes by 50%. Emart24 saw sales increases of 186% for Hoppang and 26% for roasted sweet potatoes.

There was a clear difference in winter snack preferences by gender. At CU, Hoppang was purchased more by men (71%) than women (29%), while roasted sweet potatoes were overwhelmingly preferred by women (86%) compared to men (14%). At GS25, Hoppang sales were 55% men and 45% women, fish cakes 64% men and 36% women, and roasted sweet potatoes 38% men and 62% women. Similar trends were observed at 7-Eleven, with Hoppang at 70% men and 30% women, fish cakes 65% men and 35% women, and roasted sweet potatoes 20% men and 80% women.

By location, Hoppang and fish cakes sold well in areas with a high proportion of male foot traffic such as industrial complexes, while roasted sweet potatoes were popular in residential commercial districts. Hoppang and fish cakes, being filling snacks, were mostly purchased by men, whereas roasted sweet potatoes, a sweet snack, were bought by women mainly as desserts. According to GS25, Hoppang showed high sales growth rates in academy districts (244%) and areas near subway stations (240%), fish cakes in industrial complexes (68%) and office districts (48%), and roasted sweet potatoes in academy districts (147%) and office districts (104%).

Models at CU are introducing steamed buns and roasted sweet potato products.
[Photo by BGF Retail]

Convenience stores are targeting consumers by offering differentiated winter snacks. CU has released character collaboration Hoppang featuring Pok?mon, Keroro, and others, receiving positive responses beyond their regular products. GS25 operates cooking-style Hoppang such as ham mozzarella cheese, spicy cream dakgalbi, and garlic curry, and uses large-sized raw sweet potatoes weighing over 210g of the Beniharuka variety, known as honey sweet potatoes, for their roasted sweet potatoes. Additionally, they introduced Busan specialty Multteok, a symbol of Busan street food, and sell red spicy square fish cakes made with natural coloring. Emart24’s “I’m e Ugly Ice Roasted Sweet Potato” is made from 100% domestic honey sweet potatoes, roasted at high temperatures in an ocher kiln and rapidly cooled to preserve the flavor of the roasted sweet potato. The ice roasted sweet potato can be heated in a microwave for 2 minutes to enjoy warm roasted sweet potatoes or thawed at room temperature to be eaten cold.

A convenience store industry official said, “Winter foods representing convenience stores are recording strong performance this year,” adding, “As consumer demand becomes more segmented and diverse, we are carefully analyzing customer purchasing trends to plan differentiated products and promotions.”