Improving Distribution Process to Maintain Freshness
Introducing Live Fish Trucks with Seawater and Dedicated Containers for Abalone
Half-Price Discount on Abalone for Boknal Season
Lotte Mart is enhancing the freshness of abalone, a representative summer health food, and launching a discount event for the first heat of summer.
Lotte Mart, operated by Lotte Shopping, announced on the 10th that it will run the "Determined Abalone" campaign to renew freshness for about two months from the 11th until the end of August. Additionally, to celebrate the first heat of summer (Chobok) on July 15, a half-price discount event will be held until the 17th.
According to Lotte Mart, abalone is considered a representative seafood health food for the hottest days of summer, with the highest customer purchases during the summer season of July and August. Last year, 40% of all abalone sold at Lotte Mart was purchased between July 1 and August 31.
In this campaign, Lotte Mart improved the entire distribution process, including delivery, storage, and display stages, to maintain abalone freshness. First, only carefully selected abalone raw materials are handled through a four-step inspection process. The first inspection is at the farm, the second at the land processing center, the third before shipment from the store, and the fourth is a sample inspection after arrival at the store. Additionally, to provide uniformly sized abalone, the range of sizes has been reduced from six categories (25 to 30 pieces) to three categories (25 to 27 pieces).
To maintain freshness, live fish trucks carrying seawater are used for transporting abalone. Unlike simple refrigerated delivery, transporting with seawater-filled live fish trucks continuously supplies oxygen to the abalone, preserving freshness for a longer time. Lotte Mart delivers to stores about five times a week on average using seawater live fish trucks, increasing to six times a week during July and August when the hottest days occur. According to Lotte Mart, this is the highest frequency of live fish truck deliveries in the industry.
The conditions of the aquariums storing abalone have also been improved. The water temperature is maintained at 12℃, the temperature at which abalone activity (the living state of the organism) is highest, and abalone are managed separately to avoid being displayed with other crustaceans. Furthermore, a dedicated "abalone packaging container" was independently developed. This container has grooves for individual packaging to prevent overlapping or crushing of abalone, allowing customers to check the quality of the abalone at a glance.
In addition, Lotte Mart plans to expand the operation of "ASC-certified abalone." ASC (Aquaculture Stewardship Council) is an international standard certification aimed at creating sustainable aquaculture environments while providing safe seafood to consumers. Currently, Lotte Mart sells ASC-certified abalone at 23 stores and plans to expand to 28 stores within this year.
To celebrate the hottest days, from the 11th to the 17th, Lotte Mart will offer a 50% discount on "abalone (medium, per piece)" and "ASC abalone (per piece)" when paying with event cards. The "abalone (medium, per piece)" can also be purchased at half price on the Lotte Mart Mall within Lotte ON.
Park So-hee, product planner (MD) of the Lotte Mart & Super seafood team, said, "We have improved the entire distribution process so that customers can purchase fresh abalone in response to the demand for abalone during the hottest days. We put determination into this campaign to present only high-quality abalone, and we hope customers will trust and purchase abalone at Lotte Mart and Super this summer."
Lotte Mart's freshness redefined in the Jibnyeom Abalone campaign poster. [Image provided by Lotte Mart]
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
