One out of four consumers who visited major department stores in Korea reported experiencing inconvenience. Parking and the use of convenience facilities were the biggest sources of dissatisfaction.
The Korea Consumer Agency (KCA), together with the Consumer Public Interest Network, announced on the 19th the results of a satisfaction survey of 1,500 consumers on the use of the three major department stores—Hyundai, Shinsegae, and Lotte. Among respondents, 374 people (24.9%) said they "experienced inconvenience or harm."
Of these, more than half—196 people (52.4%)—pointed to a lack of parking spaces or inconvenient convenience facilities, and 160 people (42.8%) cited in-store crowding and inconvenient movement routes. In response, the consumer agency recommended that each department store operator implement improvements such as ▲expanding parking and rest areas ▲enhancing location guidance ▲separating in-store movement routes.
Overall satisfaction averaged 3.81 out of 5. By company, Hyundai Department Store was highest at 3.85, followed by Shinsegae (3.83) and Lotte (3.75).
Among the five service-use items, satisfaction with "facilities and environment," including store exterior and interior cleanliness, was highest at 4.12, while "customer empathy," such as personalized services, was relatively lower at 3.81. Among the seven core service items, satisfaction with "brands and products," which assessed the diversity of brands and goods, was highest at 4.00. Price and parking satisfaction were tallied at 3.66 and 3.77, respectively.
In detailed evaluations by item, Shinsegae Department Store received high marks in the brands and products category, while Hyundai Department Store scored well for auxiliary facilities such as food and beverage stores and cultural and experience programs.
What consumers consider most important when using department stores was "diversity of brands and products" (40.2%), followed by "store accessibility" (23.0%) and "various benefits" (12.8%). At Shinsegae Department Store, relatively more consumers considered "diversity of brands and products" important; at Lotte Department Store, "store accessibility"; and at Hyundai Department Store, "excellence in staff response and service quality."
The category with the highest spending during department store visits was "home appliances and furniture," averaging 1,316,000 won. It was followed by "luxury brand apparel and accessories" (1,181,000 won), "non-luxury brand apparel and accessories" (440,000 won), and "food hall products" (174,000 won).