Online malls woo Chinese on a holiday

Industry

Published: 03 Aug. 2015, 21:45

Online malls woo Chinese on a holiday

Trade associations and the government will hold a discount promotion for Korean products on online shopping malls for Chinese and local consumers during the traditional Chinese Valentine’s Day.

The Korea International Trade Association (KITA), the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy jointly announced Monday that they will hold the promotion for three days starting Aug. 19 on a website called Xing Xing Korea, which means reaching for the stars in Chinese. The three days were selected because that is when Chinese celebrate the Qixi Festival, the traditional Chinese Valentine’s Day, by exchanging gifts with paramours.

The event is aimed at helping the nation’s sagging exports and domestic sales in the wake of the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) outbreak. The promotion will offer popular Korean consumer products like cosmetics and food.

Sixteen online markets and duty-free companies specializing in taking orders from abroad are participating: Interpark, G Market, Lotte.com, Lotte Duty Free, GS Home Shopping, Hyundai Home Shopping, Galleria Mall, WeMakePrice, Shilla Duty Free, KMall24, K-Shop, Panda Korea, Korea Media Square, Naning9, HM International and Ez Webpia, an official trade partner of Alibaba’s Taobao.

Each of these malls will sell 100 selected products with discounts of up to 50 percent. Customers will receive an 8 percent discount coupon after registration on the Xing Xing Korea website. Korea Post is offering a 36 percent discount on shipping fee.

Products will include cosmetics, small home appliances, clothes, food, K-Pop fan products and other Korean-made fashion products.

Popular consumer products from small and midsize brands will be sold, but some famous big companies like AmorePacific will be also included, according to KITA.

On Monday the website for Chinese consumers was launched.

For Korean customers, the items offered and the discounts will be different.. The confirmed list of companies will be announced next week.

“After the outbreak of MERS, online and mobile purchases have soared,” said Yoon Gap-seok, head of the trade policy division of the Trade Ministry. “By also launching a promotion for local consumers, the government and retailers hope to take it to the next level and encourage more local consumers to open their wallets.”

BY KIM JI-YOON [kim.jiyoon@joongang.co.kr]