Aju Business Daily

SEOUL -- Shinsegae TV Shopping, a cable TV home shopping channel operated by South Korean retail giant Shinsegae, has collaborated with CJ Logistics, a major parcel delivery service operator, to offer an overnight delivery service for customers. Live lobsters will be the first product to be delivered overnight.

Shinsegae TV Shopping said in a statement that it would begin its overnight delivery service for fresh food and groceries from September 16. The home shopping channel operator and CJ Logistics have jointly created a special logistics system with integrated product management including safe storage and delivery.

Shinsegae said that customers living in Seoul and its satellite cities will be able to receive parcels by 7:00 a.m. the next morning. If the order is made after midnight, the parcel will be delivered by 11:00 p.m.

South Korea with a 133 trillion won ($112.5 billion) online shopping market has vast logistical networks operated by private parcel delivery companies. It normally takes a day or two for customers to receive products. Some shopping malls offer overnight or one-day delivery services to attract customers.

Because of an increase in home-dwellers who choose to stay at home to prevent the spread of COVID-19, food delivery companies have been busy this year. According to Wisenet, an online survey firm, about 15 million transactions were made using food delivery service apps in July, up 30 percent from a year ago.

The coronavirus pandemic has changed the lifestyle of South Korean consumers. Online-ordered meal kits or ready-to-cook packages containing meal ingredients are popular among young consumers as they do not have to shop at supermarkets or spend time preparing ingredients. According to the Korea Rural Economic Institute, South Korea's meal kit market is expected to reach 700 billion won in 2024, up 165 percent from 40 billion won in 2019.