"When Maehwa Blossoms, Wallets Open"... Retailers Already Launch Spring Season Sales

Lotte Mart Offers 50% Off Cleaning Supplies at 'Living Flex' Event
Ssg.com Holds Spring 'Living Ssg Sale'
Coupang Hosts 'Spring Transitional Fashion Discount Event'

As the spring season approaches this year, the distribution industry is launching discount promotions. Some companies have already started spring promotions since last month, aiming to attract early spring customers.

According to the distribution industry on the 16th, major domestic large marts, e-commerce, and home shopping sectors are conducting discount events and promotions to welcome the spring season.

On the 14th, with warmer weather continuing compared to the average year, spring clothes are dressed on a mannequin in a department store window in Jung-gu, Seoul. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

First, Lotte Mart is holding a 'Living Flex' discount event until the 28th, offering cleaning detergents and cleaning supplies for spring home renovations at discounted prices. During this period, popular cleaning products such as laundry detergents and heavy-duty cleaning detergents are discounted by up to 50%, and gift certificates are given for purchases over a certain amount. Specifically, Downy laundry detergent refills (3.2ℓ) are offered at a 50% discount per unit when purchasing two or more, priced at 18,450 KRW each, and three types of heavy-duty Yuhan Clorox are sold at 6,790 KRW with a 30% discount.

Hygiene products such as cleaning tissues, wet wipes, and kitchen towels are also offered at up to half price. 'Scot Sterilizing Disinfecting Tissues (60 sheets)' and 'Scot Kitchen and Dining Wet Wipes (40 sheets)' can be purchased at half price when buying two or more. 'Clean Country Pull-Out Kitchen Towels (150 sheets*4)' and 'Kleenex Eco Green Soft Wet Wipes (80 sheets*4)', used for removing kitchen grease, are sold at 7,750 KRW and 7,450 KRW respectively with a 50% discount. Lotte Mart explained that this event was prepared so that customers planning a thorough spring cleaning can purchase cleaning supplies at reasonable prices.

SSG.com, the e-commerce platform of Shinsegae Group, is also running a discount event focused on the living category to welcome spring. The 'Living SSG Sale,' running until the 18th, offers discounts mainly on furniture, home appliances, and interior products for the spring new semester and wedding season. SSG Sale is a category-specialized promotion regularized by SSG.com since last year, and this is the first time it is focused on the living category.

Customers who meet the purchase conditions for living category products will receive three types of product coupons ranging from 8% to 12%. For orders of living and daily necessities over 5,000 KRW via SSG Delivery, a 12% cart coupon is also provided separately, and payment with event cards offers additional billing discounts. Additionally, daily time deals are held during the event period, offering two limited-quantity special-priced popular products per day, totaling 14 items such as Tempur pillows and Le Creuset mug sets. The living event is also scheduled six times through SSG.com's own live commerce, SSG.LIVE.

Coupang is also holding a 'Spring Transitional Season Fashion Discount Event' featuring small and medium brands until the 18th. During this period, Coupang offers transitional season fashion items such as jackets, windbreakers, cardigans, and sneakers at discounts of up to 80%. The discounted products mainly consist of small and medium brands, with Walking Master (shoes), Naven (casual), and Mozmoze (casual) being representative examples. Coupang provides free exchange and return services for Wow members, allowing customers to try on or wear products to decide on the size. The discount event page can be found by searching 'spring fashion' on the Coupang app.

As the clear spring weather continues, the 17th Gwangyang International Maehwa (Plum Blossom) Cultural Festival is being held on the weekend of the 22nd along the Seomjin River in Gwangyang, where plum blossoms signaling the arrival of spring are in full bloom. Numerous tourists from across the country are enjoying their time while smelling the fragrance of the plum blossoms.

Gwangyang City is hosting the festival for nine days from the 22nd to the 30th under the slogan "Seomjin River at the Gateway of Spring, Dyed with Maehwa," with the theme "Spring Maehwa, Summer Maesil (Plum), Let's Heal Together." Photo by Gwangyang City

The home shopping industry is also scheduling broadcasts of travel products and living category items for the spring season. GS Shop will air a 'Gwangyang Maehwa Festival 1 Night 2 Days' travel product on the afternoon of the 16th. The Gwangyang Maehwa Festival is the largest local festival held mainly along the Seomjin River and Cheongmaesil Farm, attracting over one million visitors annually. This product, departing between the 8th and 23rd of next month, includes famous spots to enjoy spring flowers such as the Maehwa Festival and camellia flower clusters. Lotte Home Shopping also focused on spring new products in the fashion and living categories from the 9th to the 12th, during the Lunar New Year holiday period.

As the distribution sector officially welcomes spring customers, attention is focused on how much customer demand can be attracted. As the weather warms and outdoor activities increase, customers' wallets are expected to open more actively. According to sales trends of major distribution companies from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, last year's spring season sales growth rates compared to the same months the previous year were 8.6% in February, 9.5% in March, and 2.5% in April for major department stores. During the same period, large marts also showed sales increases of 5.8% in February, 1.2% in March, and 3.3% in April. Considering that sales decreased in January compared to the previous year for both distribution sectors, it is analyzed that consumption increased with the arrival of spring.