Hands-free, hassle-free: Korea's delivery services go the extra mile

Korea’s delivery industry is taking a load off your shoulders — literally. New delivery services promise both shoppers and sellers a “hands-free” experience, in which they’ll never have to carry or mail packages or even walk to the convenience store around the corner.

CJ Logistics partnered with the Korea Merchant Association to create a delivery service for traditional markets. Customers pay for products at the market stall but don’t bring them home. Instead, they leave their address with merchants, who in turn wait for delivery managers to collect the items every afternoon. The managers then hand the goods over to couriers, who deliver them across the country.

The company first launched the service for the Taepyeong traditional market in Daejeon in early June.

“The biggest inconvenience [for customers] at traditional markets is having to carry heavy purchases through crowded spaces,” said Yoon Jae-seung, the head of the O-NE parcel delivery division at CJ Logistics. “This [service] lets [them] shop hands-free and allows merchants to focus on sales, which will help revitalize traditional markets.”

And buying isn’t the only thing getting easier.

With secondhand platforms, sellers usually have to pack items, visit a drop-off point and send buyers the tracking number. The secondhand market platform Karrot, also known as Danggeun Market, has reduced that hassle through its nationwide “Buy Now” service, launched in March. Sellers who use the service can manage the shipping process through the app, then leave sold items outside their homes for couriers to take and deliver. Buyers can also check the tracking numbers on the app. 

Such hands-free transactions are growing popular in urban regions.

Consumers are increasingly turning to “quick commerce,” or short-distance deliveries within 2 to 3 kilometers (1.2 to 1.9 miles), as even a trip to the convenience store down the street becomes inconvenient.

Korea’s three major convenience store chains — CU, GS25 and 7-Eleven — offer 24-hour delivery through food delivery platforms such as Baedal Minjok, also known as Baemin, Coupang Eats and Yogiyo.

Quick commerce sales at 7-Eleven rose 56 percent in the first half of this year compared to the same period last year. Similarly, GS25 and CU saw sales grow 98 percent and 123 percent, respectively, over the same period. Most delivery orders consist of snacks, beverages and desserts.

Quick commerce orders are especially popular in college neighborhoods.

One convenience store in Dongjak District, southern Seoul, an area home to several colleges, reportedly records an average of 2 million won ($1,300) a day in quick commerce.

“We’ve had customers who live on the third floor order delivery from a convenience store on the first floor of the same building,” a worker at the convenience store said. “Daily sales used to average about 1.8 million won, but they’ve doubled since we introduced the quick commerce service. We even hired a part-time worker just to handle delivery orders.”

“The service generates additional sales on top of existing business, so we expect it to become an effective way to drive […] growth,” a convenience store industry source said.

BY CHOI HYUN-JU [[email protected]]