9.42 Million Transactions by Foreign Customers from 189 Countries Last Year
Globalization of Store Environment and Integration with Global Mall Services
CJ Olive Young announced on the 26th that sales from foreign customers significantly increased last year. Considering the growing number of global customers, the company plans to strengthen its role as a 'K-Beauty Gateway' connecting the world.
Last year, sales from foreign customers increased by 140% compared to the previous year. Foreign customers visiting Olive Young came from a total of 189 countries, with 9.42 million transactions recorded. During this period, 1,264 Olive Young stores were visited by foreign tourists, accounting for about 92% of all stores (1,371 stores).
The most notable trend is the growth from countries in the European continent. Sales from customers of Italian and Spanish nationality increased by 250% and 226% respectively compared to the previous year. France, known as a traditional beauty powerhouse, also saw a 184% increase. Mexico and T?rkiye, where the Korean Wave continues to be popular, showed increases of 400% and 340% respectively.
Consumers from the United States, the top country for K-beauty exports, expanded their consumption of sun care products. Among the top 10 best-selling items, five were sun care products. This is analyzed to be influenced by the increased trust in Korean products amid the U.S. FDA's recommendation to use sunscreen to prevent skin cancer.
Looking at the products frequently sought by foreigners, many reflected Korea’s unique skincare methods. This is thanks to the interest in the 'Korean Skincare Routine' on social media (SNS). In fact, neighboring countries such as China, Japan, and Taiwan tended to purchase various skincare products commonly used by Koreans, including not only the steady sellers like 'mask packs' and 'toners, lotions' but also 'serums,' 'ampoules,' and 'essences' together.
This year, CJ Olive Young plans to enhance foreign customers' shopping satisfaction through a global commercial district strategy. Specialized services from 'Myeongdong Town,' where foreign customers account for over 90%, will be proactively introduced to stores located in major tourist destinations such as Busan and Jeju. Foreign language signage will be strengthened at various touchpoints, including electronic labels, in-store guidance services, and payment areas.
Products preferred by foreign tourists will be actively introduced by creating separate display spaces such as 'K-Beauty Now' and 'Global Hot Issues' to showcase promising K-beauty brands. For some multi-level stores with large-volume purchases, a luggage storage service will also be operated to improve shopping convenience.
To maintain interest in K-beauty even after returning home, the company plans to increase the installation of 'vending machines' that assist with signing up for the 'Olive Young Global Mall.' Last year, machines were installed in four stores including 'Gwangbok Town,' 'Myeongdong Station,' 'Myeongdong Town,' and 'Samsung Town.' Through this, 330,000 new members were attracted last year alone.
An Olive Young representative said, “Olive Young provides foreign visitors to Korea with a positive shopping experience while serving as a 'Global K-Beauty Gateway' that introduces new K-beauty brands first.” They added, “We will continue our efforts to establish K-beauty as a representative tourism content of Korea alongside K-pop and K-food.”
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