SEOUL, Sept. 4 (Yonhap) — South Korean online shopping transactions rose 9.1 percent year-on-year in July, according to figures released Monday, as the demand for travel services continues to return to pre-COVID levels.
Statistics Korea reported that the total value of eCommerce transactions was 18.9 trillion won ($14.31 billion) in July, up from 17.3 trillion won the year before.
The surge was driven largely by travel and transportation services, which jumped 31.4 percent to 2.1 trillion won, as more people began to travel with eased pandemic restrictions.
Meanwhile, food and beverage purchases online increased 15.7 percent to 2.49 trillion won, while e-coupons (online gift cards) rose 28.1 percent to 735.1 billion won.
Food delivery services totaled 2.35 trillion won, a 2.4 percent year-on-year increase, and clothing purchases reached 1.5 trillion won, up 4.5 percent.
Transactions made via smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices rose 6.9 percent to 14 trillion won, accounting for 74.5 percent of total online shopping, a 1.5 percentage point drop compared to the same period last year.