Coupang Sells Pads at 99 Won After President Steps In... Even 50 Days of Stock Sold Out

Coupang PB "99-Won Sanitary Pad" Sees Explosive Demand
50 Days' Stock Sells Out Despite One-Per-Person Limit

Immediately after President Lee Jae-myung pointed out high sanitary pad prices, the “99-won sanitary pad” that Coupang launched on the 1st sold out within two days of sales. Despite a limit of one pack per person, order volume surged to as much as 50 times the usual level, and inventory prepared for 50 days ran out in an instant. This suggests that, even amid Coupang’s personal information leak incident and the resulting “Talpang Rush” (a wave of membership cancellations), consumer demand from people who have long felt burdened by sanitary pad prices far outweighed those concerns.

Coupang Headquarters.

According to the retail industry on the 3rd, among the “Lunami” sanitary pad products of CPLB, Coupang’s private-brand (PB) subsidiary, the “Lunami Soft Medium, 18-count” in 8 to 24-pack options sold out within two days of the price cut. The “Lunami Soft Large, 16-count” in all 8 to 24-pack options also went out of stock. Coupang stated, “As order volume increased significantly compared to usual, the prepared quantity was depleted earlier than expected,” adding, “We are working to restock as quickly as possible.”

99 won per pad... among the lowest prices in Korea

The driving force behind this sellout was an aggressive price cut. Late last month, Coupang lowered the price of Lunami sanitary pads by up to 29% and announced that it would freeze the new prices for the time being.

As a result, the unit price for medium-size pads dropped from around 120 to 130 won to 99 won, and for large-size pads from the 140 to 150 won range to 105 won. Considering that the usual market price for medium and large sanitary pads is typically around 200 to 300 won per pad, and that other retailers’ PB products are generally priced at around 120 won, this effectively places them at the lowest price level in Korea. Coupang is structured to bear the entirety of any losses arising from the price cuts.

Order volume surges 50-fold despite one-per-person limit

It became '99'.

According to Coupang, orders for Lunami sanitary pads increased by up to 50 times the usual volume after the price reduction. The prepared inventory was enough to cover roughly 50 days of sales, but it was completely depleted within two days. Coupang imposed a limit of one pack per customer per day to prevent hoarding or reselling under below-cost pricing conditions, but this was not enough to curb the explosive surge in demand.

One word of "too expensive" from Lee... mid- to low-priced pads roll out

President Lee Jae-myung.

Coupang’s latest move is a response to President Lee Jae-myung’s concerns. At a Cabinet meeting on the 20th of last month, President Lee pointed out that sanitary pad prices in Korea are higher than overseas and instructed officials to review ways to produce low-priced sanitary pads with basic quality standards and distribute them free of charge. His point was that, as the market has become centered on premium products, consumer choice has been restricted.

Since then, major manufacturers such as Yuhan-Kimberly and LG Unicharm have been reviewing or announcing the launch of mid- to low-priced products, while Emart24 has been running free-gift and discount promotions for sanitary pads. As a result, a full-fledged “value for money” competition is emerging across both distribution and manufacturing sectors.