Department Stores Meet Spring Outing Demand with Experience, Themes, and Assortment

Weekend Sales of Three Major Department Stores Up 9.6~12.8%
Outdoor Activity Preparations Boost Fashion, Outdoor, and Golf Sales
Department Stores Focus on Experience, Themes, and Assortment

A customer is looking at products at the Salomon store in Lotte Department Store Main Branch.
[Photo by Lotte Department Store].

As winter passes and the spring atmosphere gradually sets in, the demand for outdoor outings is shifting foot traffic toward department stores. The department store industry is gearing up for spring demand by emphasizing 'experience,' 'themes,' and 'variety.'

According to the distribution industry on the 21st, the sales of the three major department stores?Lotte, Shinsegae, and Hyundai?during the three-day weekend (17th to 19th) increased by 9.6% to 12.8% compared to the same period last year. As the weather warmed up, people preparing for outdoor activities headed to department stores, resulting in noticeable sales growth in categories such as fashion, outdoor, and golf. Lotte Department Store saw high sales growth rates in sports (25%), fashion (20%), outdoor (20%), and golf (10%). Shinsegae Department Store also exceeded overall sales growth rates with outdoor (39.3%), golf (35.3%), and men's fashion (27.6%). Hyundai Department Store showed remarkable progress in outdoor (32.3%), golf (22.0%), and men's fashion (20.1%).

At the turning point from winter to spring, department stores emphasized experience, themes, and variety. Since social distancing was lifted in April last year and the endemic (periodic outbreak of infectious diseases) atmosphere has continued, department stores commonly believe that capturing the mood before the full-scale spring season is important. Accordingly, department stores highlighted the strength of offline stores?direct experience?through major store renovations and led trends through thematic approaches. They also planned events featuring popular items trending among the MZ generation (Millennials + Generation Z).

A golfer is trying out a golf club in the studio-type fitting room inside the golf shop at Shinsegae Gangnam Store.
[Photo by Shinsegae Department Store].

Shinsegae Department Store Gangnam branch set up a lounge-style golf club fitting room in the premium golf specialty hall, which debuted last weekend, allowing customers to directly experience and purchase, attracting great interest from the first weekend of opening. The fitting room introduced TrackMan, equipment used by players in the PGA (Professional Golfers' Association) and others for swing analysis, helping golfers select the most suitable clubs. The golf wear edit shop also introduces trendy golf wear brands such as Vice Golf and Anu Golf. The golf specialty hall hosts a total of 28 brands, including six new brands.

Lotte Department Store is promoting the 'Gorpcore' look at the outdoor fair running from the 24th to the 5th of next month. This fashion style, which uses outdoor wear as everyday clothing, has been trending recently. The event targets men in their 10s to 30s who are highly interested in the Gorpcore look, featuring famous outdoor brands like Nike, The North Face, National Geographic, and Offroad, an outdoor brand exclusively launched by Lotte Department Store. Additionally, popular products from Salomon, which have recently caused sell-out situations, are offered at a 10% discount to attract customers.

Hyundai Department Store introduces vegan cosmetics through the edit shop 'Be Clean,' following the clean beauty trend. They also provide plus points worth 5,000 and 10,000 won, which can be used like cash, for purchases over 100,000 and 200,000 won at sports brands. Hyundai Department Store continues store renovations this year at Apgujeong, Pangyo, and Trade Center branches. The Daegu branch 'The Hyundai Daegu,' which reopened after renovation last December, has received positive responses by reducing the store area by 15% compared to before while increasing the cultural and artistic space more than fourfold. The Slam Dunk pop-up, which was very popular at The Hyundai Seoul, continues its momentum in Daegu until the 22nd.

A distribution industry official said, "Compared to the late winter situation last year when COVID-19 was rampant, this year is seeing a favorable breeze in the overall shopping environment and atmosphere," adding, "Department stores plan to expand their customer base this year through major store renovations, various pop-ups, and events amid concerns of a base effect."