"So What If There Are Some Scratches"… Even Massage Chairs Use 'Refurbished' Amid Recession

Bodyfriend's Refurbished Sales Share Quadruples
Efforts Include Refurbished Certification System and Free After-Sales Service

Refurbished products are gaining popularity in the massage chair industry. This is interpreted as a reflection of cost-effectiveness-centered consumer sentiment taking advantage of the structured recession. As demand for refurbished products, which have no functional issues but are cheaper, increases, companies are focusing on improving product quality and consumer satisfaction through refurbished certification systems operated directly by headquarters and free after-sales service (AS), among other measures.

According to the healthcare industry on the 18th, the proportion of refurbished products in the total sales of Bodyfriend, which specializes in massage chairs, in the fourth quarter of last year was 4.07%, nearly four times higher than 1.6% in the first quarter of last year. Amid the full-scale high inflation last year, the share of refurbished sales slightly declined from 3.16% in the first quarter to 2.86% in the second quarter, but steadily increased to 3.59% and 4.07% in the third and fourth quarters, respectively.

Cozyma also saw a significant increase in sales by leveraging the effect of a refurbished pop-up store operated during the Lunar New Year holiday. As a result of operating an offline store gathering only refurbished products for 15 days from the 22nd of last month to the 5th of this month, the average daily sales of massage chairs during this year’s holiday period increased by 150% compared to last year’s holiday (February 9?12).

'Refurb' is short for 'refurbish,' referring to products returned due to issues during manufacturing or sales processes that are refurbished to look like new and sold. They have no problems in use and are attracting consumers who want to reduce expenses, as they can be up to 80% cheaper than the regular price.

In particular, massage chairs, which have a high selling price, are experiencing rapid growth due to the significant discount benefits available when purchasing refurbished products. An industry insider said, "Refurbished products are rapidly growing on the basic foundation of the expanding massage chair market size combined with the recession. Also, many new customers who surged during the COVID-19 period are gradually returning products, which leads to a large supply of refurbished stock, another reason for the market growth."

Accordingly, companies are striving to improve the quality of refurbished products and expand their variety. Bodyfriend established a 'refurbished certification system' where the headquarters directly replaces parts and transforms products to look like new, addressing the issue of uncertified refurbished products being sold on secondhand trading sites. Products certified by the headquarters are sold through the official online mall at about 50% cheaper than the regular price. Additionally, since last year, refurbished products have been provided with free AS just like new products. Ceragem started selling refurbished products on its official online mall from October last year, which were previously sold irregularly offline.

Professor Eunhee Lee of Inha University’s Department of Consumer Studies said, "Massage chairs have high selling prices and are often placed in shared spaces such as airports, hotels, and jjimjilbangs (Korean sauna), so demand for refurbished products may be higher than for other products. However, expanding price benefits more than now is necessary for refurbished products to become more active."