Homeplus announced on the 20th that its online sales of health-related products increased by 32% compared to 2022. This means that sales have grown compared to before the COVID-19 pandemic (as of May 2023), when interest in health was extremely high.
According to Homeplus, online sales of health-related gift sets during the pre-order period for the Lunar New Year until the 15th increased by 17% compared to the same period last year. This reflects the trend of 'slow aging,' which involves maintaining healthy beauty while aging gradually.
According to a report titled '2024 Health Functional Food Market Status and Consumer Survey' released by the Korea Health Supplements Association, the domestic health functional food market has maintained a size of around 6 trillion won over the past three years. Since the declaration of the COVID-19 endemic in May 2023, the market size has not increased. However, consumption of health functional foods through online orders has shown an increase.
The product category with the largest share of online sales at Homeplus is vitamins. Although vitamins had the largest sales volume among health functional foods last year, their sales increased by more than double compared to 2022. The rise in customers seeking vitamins that can help boost immunity appears to be a result of the spread of flu and cold since the end of last year.
Red ginseng also ranked high in sales, similar to vitamins. In particular, dual-form products that allow consumers to take vitamin tablets and liquid red ginseng simultaneously were popular across all age groups. 'CheongKwanJang Red Ginseng EveryTime Balance' recorded high sales among all age brackets, and individuals in their 30s and 40s appeared to purchase the most red ginseng for children.
Products related to protein, joints, calcium, and magnesium also saw sales increase for two consecutive years. Sales of protein supplements increased by 150% compared to 2022, surpassing the share of collagen sales by more than double. Individuals in their 50s and 60s showed a high purchasing share for protein supplements, while this age group also had a higher purchasing share for joint-related products like chondroitin compared to other age groups.