ably, a style commerce platform operated by Ably Corporation, said on the 27th that the transaction amount in the food category in the fourth quarter last year hit an all-time record.
The fourth-quarter food category transaction amount jumped nearly twofold (80%) from a year earlier. After achieving the highest-ever monthly transaction amount in October last year, it set another record high in December, when year-end dessert demand peaked. In the fourth quarter last year, the number of orders and ordering customers each increased 45% from a year earlier, and the number of new customers who made their first purchase in the food category rose 33%.
As more people bought food through ably, the entry of new sellers and the market transaction amount also accelerated. As of December last year, the number of onboarded markets increased about 30% from a year earlier. During the same period, dessert markets Adam Tteok Workshop and Nangman Store, which gained strong popularity with the "Dubai jjondeuk cookie," each achieved monthly transaction amounts in the hundred-million-won range.
The monthly food regular event "Dessert pop-up store" served as the key driver of these results. During the three event periods held in the fourth quarter last year, the average daily transaction amount in the food category increased 38% from the same event periods a year earlier. The popular bakery Huwahuwah achieved a hundred-million-won transaction amount during the October event, and the "Dubai jjondeuk cookie" unveiled by 3rd Floor Attic Bread at the December pop-up sold out its initial stock within 30 minutes of sales starting.
The "Cake pop-up store" event (Dec. 8–26, 2025), aimed at the year-end season, also delivered results, with the food hall's average daily transaction amount rising 72% from the previous year's event (Dec. 4–25, 2024).
ably preemptively launched its food category in October 2022 in the fashion platform industry. From the early stages, it designed a structure to discover offline dessert hot spots and help them expand online.
It is also notable that a dedicated food MD team was organized to directly lead the entire process, including product sourcing and event planning, and has gradually strengthened the category's competitiveness. In particular, the "Online dessert pop-up store," a regular food event now in its second year, showcases popular cafes and neighborhood shops from across the country each month, boosting the participating markets' recognition and user satisfaction.
An ably food official said, "Going forward, ably will continue to support regional dessert shops so they can grow into popular online markets, and will further advance the food category's operating model so users can easily purchase desired products without constraints of time and distance."