GS Shop, 'Jongga Pogikimchi' 9,000 Sets Sold Out
As the price of napa cabbage soars, leading to a shortage of packaged kimchi products, a packaged kimchi sales broadcast on TV home shopping sold out within just four minutes of airing.
According to Yonhap News on the 7th, "GS Retail's TV home shopping company GS Shop sold out all 5,000 sets of 'Jongga Poggi Kimchi' prepared for the broadcast within about four minutes after the sales broadcast began on the 4th."
On that day, GS Shop introduced three packaged kimchi product sets during the broadcast: Central-style 10.4 kg, Jeolla-style 10.4 kg, and a mixed set (Central and Jeolla styles, 5.2 kg each). The Central-style kimchi sold out first within about two minutes of the broadcast, and the remaining products were all sold out within 4 minutes and 30 seconds. Including 4,000 sets pre-ordered via mobile before the broadcast, a total of 9,000 sets were sold out in an instant.
The order amount per minute for this kimchi product reached around 53 million KRW. GS Shop explained that this is the highest amount among products broadcast this year and the highest ever recorded for a food broadcast. A GS Shop official said, "Usually, when broadcasting kimchi sales, hosts wear plastic gloves, but due to the early sell-out, the host did not even get to touch the kimchi before the broadcast ended," adding, "Even the employees, including the producer (PD) who conducted the broadcast, failed to make a purchase."
In the distribution industry, including TV home shopping, September to October is generally considered the peak season for packaged kimchi. During this period, before the main kimchi-making season begins, demand temporarily increases as people finish the kimchi they made the previous year and wait to make new kimchi. This year, however, due to the impact of record-breaking heatwaves and poor napa cabbage harvests, cabbage prices surged sharply. As a result, consumers increasingly chose packaged kimchi instead of making their own, causing a kimchi shortage crisis in some online malls.
Earlier, on the 22nd of last month, GS Shop aired a 70-minute Jongga kimchi broadcast, during which 6,500 sets prepared for the broadcast sold out within 41 minutes amid a flood of purchase inquiries. The recent packaged kimchi broadcast was originally planned for the end of last month but was delayed somewhat due to difficulties in securing inventory.
The average retail price of one head of napa cabbage, as compiled by the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation (aT), was 9,963 KRW on the 27th of last month, nearly reaching 10,000 KRW, before dropping to 8,848 KRW on the 4th of this month. However, compared to the average retail price of 6,861 KRW on October 6th last year, the price remains nearly 30% higher. The government and industry expect cabbage prices to gradually decline after mid-month, but the autumn napa cabbage harvest is also expected to be poorer than usual, making optimism difficult.
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