As daytime temperatures in Yangsan, South Gyeongsang, climbed to 40.3 degrees Celsius for two straight days and an unrelenting 24-hour heat wave has persisted this month, what sells in retail has shifted. Consumers chose restorative foods instead of dining out and looked for cooling appliances designed for continuous operation. Outside the home, products carried for reapplication are gaining popularity over sunscreens applied just once.
◇ Enduring with "restorative foods + continuous cooling"
According to related industries on the 31st, from the 1st to the 29th of this month at E-MART(139480), sales of corn, considered a representative summer snack, rose 22% from a year earlier. Sales of seasonal fruits peaches (13%) and watermelons (6%) also increased. At Lotte Mart, ice cream sales from the 1st to the 28th of this month rose 20.6% from a year earlier, and chilled beverages increased 11.2%. The trend suggests a growing preference for summer foods eaten at home amid the heat.
At CU convenience stores, sales of fruit smoothies from the 1st to the 30th of this month increased 47.8% from a year earlier. Cup ice rose 14.1%, beer 13.7%, sports and ion drinks 12.2%, and bottled water 7.9%. For all five items, month-over-month growth (14.6%–55.9%) outpaced year-over-year growth. It indicates the heat has intensified sharply this month.
Demand for restorative foods was also clear. During July 19–25, which included Jungbok, E-MART's poultry sales increased about 20% from the Jungbok week last year. In the same period, deli items such as "abalone jangban japchae" and "mung bean samgyetang" ranked among the top in category sales. As dining-out prices rise, more consumers are buying ready-made restorative foods at supermarkets.
Cooling appliances showed differences by product. At E-MART, system air conditioner sales surged 161.5% from the same period last year, while stand-type air conditioners rose only 8.6%. An E-MART official said, "We believe system air conditioners are selling more because they do not take up space and look good aesthetically."
Summer hygiene appliances are also gaining popularity. Sales of food waste processors, which block odors and pests, increased 22.5%, signaling they are becoming essential summer appliances. At Lotte Mart, sales of fans and circulators, easy to run continuously, rose 16.8% month over month, and summer bedding increased 15% year over year (19.7% month over month). Retailers expect the heat to continue and are moving to expand supplies.
◇ From reapplying sunscreen to "fixers"… fortress-level defense outdoors
From the moment people step outside, they need to gear up. At Asung Daiso Co., sun care sales from the 1st to the 29th of this month rose about 50% from a year earlier, mini fans about 15%, and swimming gear about 10%.
At Olive Young during the same period, products with added cooling functions, such as beplain mung bean cooling moisture sunscreen and Cell Fusion C Aquatica Cooling Sunscreen, and easy-to-carry sticks, such as Objet Porezero Oil Control Sun Stick and Round Lab Birch Moisture Sun Stick, ranked near the top. It means demand has grown for carrying and reapplying throughout the day, rather than applying once in the morning and leaving it.
Products that keep makeup from breaking down in sweat and heat are also drawing attention. Olive Young's makeup fixer (a product that adheres and sets makeup) sales jumped 864% from a year earlier, and primers increased 46%. In online mall searches, "cooling no-sebum" rose 1,870%, "prep," which boosts makeup adherence, 225%, and "cooling spray" 160%. An Olive Young official said, "As summer gets longer, the 'sun layering' trend of reapplying sun care products even while out is spreading, and demand is also growing for products that enhance makeup hold at the base stage with primers or fixers."
Products to cool down after going out also sold well. At Lotte Mart, sales of sheet masks that soothe sun-heated skin increased 7.6% year over year, and foot-care categories such as cooling patches and foot shampoo rose 9.9% (13.1% month over month). Dr.FORHAIR Aero Cooling Spray, which cools scalp heat, and Fillimilli Cooling Refrigerant Massager are also gaining popularity at Olive Young.
This trend is unlikely to end this summer. The Korea Meteorological Administration's analysis shows that the average annual number of heat wave days over the last 10 years is 18.3, 2.2 times that of the previous 10 years (1973–1982), and the number of tropical nights is 12.2, three times higher. A retail industry official said, "Summer products are shifting from a brief July–August season to an always-on category running from May to September."