Not Compensation, Just a Simple Promotion
Unconditional Distribution and Immediate Usability
The large-scale coupon giveaway launched by the fashion platform Musinsa to celebrate the New Year is drawing significant attention both inside and outside the industry. This is because, unlike compensation for an incident, Musinsa is offering unconditional benefits, and the amount and practicality of the benefits stand in clear contrast to those of its competitors.
Musinsa launched the "New Year Just Giving 50,000 Won + 5,000 Won Benefits" promotion on the 1st through its official website and application. Musinsa
On January 1, Musinsa launched the "New Year Just Giving 50,000 Won + 5,000 Won Benefits" promotion through its official website and application. This event applies to all users, including both existing members and new sign-ups, without any specific incident or conditions. Another notable feature is that the coupons can be used immediately without a separate application process.
The benefits provided consist of a discount coupon pack worth a total of 50,000 KRW: 20,000 KRW each for Musinsa Store and Shoes & Player, and 5,000 KRW each for Beauty and Used services. In addition, if users recharge Musinsa Money and make a payment of over 10,000 KRW, they receive a 5,000 KRW payback, further increasing the perceived value of the benefits.
Industry insiders note that these benefits are naturally being compared to the compensation plan recently offered by Coupang following its personal information leakage incident. While Coupang provided compensation vouchers worth 50,000 KRW per person as a response to the incident, the amount that could actually be used for everyday purchases was viewed as limited.
Coupang offered compensation vouchers consisting of 5,000 won for all products, 5,000 won for Coupang Eats, 20,000 won for Coupang Travel, and 20,000 won for Alux following the personal information leakage incident. Coupang-
Previously, Coupang offered compensation vouchers consisting of 5,000 KRW for all products, 5,000 KRW for Coupang Eats, 20,000 KRW for Coupang Travel, and 20,000 KRW for Alux. However, there were criticisms that the amounts for all products and delivery services, which are most useful for daily life, were relatively small, while a larger portion of the vouchers was limited to specific services such as travel and luxury goods. In contrast, Musinsa's benefits are concentrated in its main categories, such as fashion and footwear, making them more likely to be used in practice.
In particular, Musinsa has clearly defined this promotion as a New Year event, not as "compensation" or an "apology." Since the benefits are provided regardless of any incident or controversy, consumers perceive them as a pure discount with no strings attached.
Some analysts suggest that Musinsa's move may be a marketing strategy conscious of competitors' recent controversies. Although there has been no direct mention, the timing and structure of the benefits are naturally leading consumers to make comparisons.
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