Cabbage crisis: Sales of RTE kimchi in South Korea soar amid rising veg costs and consumer fatigue

18-Nov-2024 - Last updated on 18-Nov-2024 at 03:26 GMT

The growing demand for packaged kimchi stems from the surge in cabbage prices and shifting consumer preferences. ©Getty Images

Retail companies in South Korea are banking on the increasing demand for ready-to-eat (RTE) packaged kimchi that has resulted from the surge in cabbage prices and shifting consumer preferences.

Although cabbage prices, which had skyrocketed due to the summer’s record-breaking heat waves, have reportedly stabilised, the “Kim-po Tribe” (people who give up on making kimchi) in South Korea is continuing to grow.

In early October, convenience store chain GS25 announced that sales of packaged kimchi increased by 19.6% compared to the same period last year, where the kimchi-making season typically begins.

According to the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation (aT), the average retail price per head of cabbage peaked at KRW9,963 (USD7) on September 27 and fell to KRW3,877 (USD2.75) as of November 11.

However, it is still about 30% higher than the cabbage price of KRW2,764 (USD1.96) during the same period last year.

The rise in kimchi ingredient costs has led to an inclination towards RTE kimchi, with the Kim-po Tribe phenomenon particularly prevalent among single- to two-person households.

A report published by aT in 2023 indicated that the proportion of households purchasing packaged kimchi increased by about threefold in the past five years, from 10.5% in 2017 to 30.6% in 2022.

In a recent survey conducted by Korea’s National Agricultural Cooperative Federation (NACF), also known as NongHyup, 92.1% of respondents “resonate with the Kim-po Tribe”, 72% “will not make kimchi this year”, and 88.7% of households that gave up on making kimchi said that they plan to buy packaged kimchi.

At the same time, there has also been an increase in consumers looking for packaged kimchi at convenience stores near their homes.

This has spurred convenience store companies to capitalise on the trend by pushing out various campaigns, including price promotions and free delivery services.

For example, BGF Retail’s CU is offering discounts on major kimchi brands like Jongga and bibigo, Shinsegae Group’s emart24 is taking orders for packaged kimchi made by the renowned Josun Hotel, and GS Retail’s GS25 has launched several “wallet-friendly” products from independent kimchi brands.

While convenience stores focus on small-packaged kimchi, e-commerce is emphasising on variety and cost-effectiveness through a wider range of brands and larger sizes.

E-commerce platform Coupang has introduced a section dedicated to selling different types of kimchi, such as cucumber kimchi, chive kimchi and mustard greens kimchi that range from 1kg to 10kg packaging.

Similarly, SSG.com is targeting the Kim-po Tribe by having a special sale of up to 30% off over 200 products, including kimchi from popular brands and famous hotels such as Grand Walkerhill Seoul.

Sold out in a flash

Among the myriad sales channels, including TV home shopping, the peak season for packaged kimchi is usually from September to October.

This year, in particular, the demand for packaged kimchi has intensified due to the spike in cabbage prices caused by climate woes and poor harvests.

In October, GS Shop, a home shopping channel under GS Retail, sold out all 5,000 sets of kimchi in less than five minutes after its sales broadcast began.

In addition, there were 4,000 sets that were pre-ordered by consumers via mobile before the broadcast.

According to GS Shop, the per-minute orders amounted to KRW53m (USD37,000), which is the highest among all products sold on broadcast this year and the highest ever for a food broadcast.