The number of foreign tourists visiting Lotte Mart is increasing.
Lotte Mart said on the 15th that the number of foreign customers last year rose 23% from a year earlier. During the same period, sales to foreigners increased 30%. Starting in 2023, the number of foreign customers visiting Lotte Mart and related sales have been rising for three consecutive years.
In particular, the Zettaflex Seoul Station branch sees foreigner sales account for about 40% of the total. The store is equipped with foreigner-friendly convenience infrastructure such as free baggage storage, a carrier packing station, a foreign currency exchange machine, and a self-service tax refund machine.
Lotte Mart analyzed that marketing aimed at foreign tourists is translating into actual increases in customer traffic. Since last year, starting with Japan, it has stepped up country-specific ads and promotions, and it noted the potential for a higher share of Japanese among foreign tourists.
A comparison of data on Japanese arrivals tallied by the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) and customer visits to Lotte Mart showed that more than 17% of Japanese who visited Korea in November last year visited Lotte Mart. That was a sharp increase from the previous month (in the 14% range), meaning 1 out of 5.8 Japanese tourists visited Lotte Mart.
Im Ho-seok, head of Lotte Mart and Super brand communication, said, "Starting with last year's ad campaign in Japan, we plan to expand marketing to foreigners to a variety of countries, including across Asia as well as the Americas and Europe," adding, "We will further solidify our position as a 'must-visit course for travel to Korea.'"