Mobile shopping is also big on campuses

I appreciate the Korea JoongAng Daily’s June 15 article “Buying into mobile shopping” since it well reflects the latest trend of the mobile market in Korea.

Apart from the Mobile Moms in the article, however, I would like to say that university students are the largest customer pool of cultural life products. They enjoy purchasing tickets for plays in Daehangno, movies and concerts, in addition to clothes and accessories. They also book travel accommodation using mobiles.

I often see my friends transfer money to others’ checking accounts through mobile banking apps to purchase movie tickets and books. I was surprised to see them using mobile bank transactions without hesitation, since I remember a news broadcast a few years ago reporting it was unstable and insecure to use.

I’ve also recently run across a blog that explicitly showed that women in their 20s and 30s prefer mobile applications specifically designed for fashion products to general shopping

Web sites like Gmarket and Hyundai Hmall when they shop for clothing.

Personally, I enjoy using the mobile app ShowB, which compares prices of the same products in different online shopping malls. These fashion apps provide updated information about brand new products, promotions and product reviews.

We may also consider the time when mobile transactions most frequently occur, which is after office hours. Some shopping malls provide extra discounts of up to 90 percent for mobile purchasers from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m., targeting busy office employees who normally start mobile shopping after they finish work.

These workers with regular income are potential mobile shopping consumers as they can exercise their own decisions.

by Roh Gi-young, University of Hong Kong student