Convenience store chains are moving to capture holiday gift demand ahead of Chuseok by expanding beyond traditional food gift sets to gold and liquor, robots, and character goods. As consumption focused on value for money continues under high inflation while demand grows for distinctive gifts that emphasize taste and individuality, each company is strengthening both premium and practical products.
GS25 will roll out more than 600 Chuseok products from the 17th to Sept. 26 under the theme "2026 neighborhood gift shop." It diversified its lineup from smart devices such as a Humanoid Robot and an artificial intelligence (AI) conversational robot, smartwatches, and food waste disposers to a total of 15 gold and silver items.
The lineup also includes products with historical and cultural significance such as an Ahn Jung-geun commemorative gold medal, a Lee Jung-seob artist silver medal, and a Denny Taegeukgi card-type gold medal. Liquor ranges widely from a five-grand chateau set priced in the 9,490,000-won range to wines in the 20,000-won range. Targeting consumers who plan to keep the holiday simple, it also strengthened foods in the 10,000- to 50,000-won range such as assorted jeon, dumplings, pork cutlets, tteokgalbi, and kimchi.
CU prepared a total of more than 710 Chuseok gifts. Reflecting that Lunar New Year gift sales this year rose 13.8% from a year earlier and sales of items priced at 100,000 won or more increased 39.2%, it expanded the share of high-priced, premium products.
It will also sell distinctive items, including 20 types of fruit, beverages, toys, and camping and golf gear featuring Pokémon, a massage chair worth 2.7 million won, and a Humanoid Robot in the 31 million won range. It also prepared food gifts such as fruit, premium Korean beef, known as hanwoo, and seafood, along with 12 pure gold items. From the 14th to Sept. 18, it will take advance orders and offer discounts of up to 30% on some products.
7-Eleven will offer more than 600 Chuseok gift sets through Oct. 2. With last year's Chuseok gift sales up 17% from a year earlier, this year it strengthened products targeting Millennials and Gen Z and trend-sensitive consumers.
Flagship products are nine exclusive goods using Hello Kitty intellectual property (IP). It fronted a "hip tradition" concept that combines traditional holiday elements with characters. It will also present hotel gourmet items, including chocolate cake and cheesecake in collaboration with Lotte Hotels & Resorts, as well as premium kimchi and meat sets. It put together popular-restaurant collaboration short rib products, asset-type gifts such as gold bars and silver bars, and practical items.
E-MART24 will begin selling Chuseok gifts from the 18th to Sept. 18. Reflecting the trend of more consumers doing their grocery shopping at convenience stores, it expanded the number of fresh food items—agricultural, livestock, and seafood—by about 30% from last year.
It increased items typically found at department stores or big-box retailers, such as premium orchard fruit sets, cow hanwoo sets, hanwoo seasoned steak sets, and a special Yeonggwang baekgulbi set. Targeting one- to two-person households and consumers spending the holiday alone, it will exclusively release six hanwoo gourmet sets with small packs of sirloin, striploin, and top blade. It will also sell 48 types of liquor, including whisky and wine, and horse gold bars.
Competition among convenience stores for holiday gifts is rapidly expanding from fruit and processed foods to premium foods, high-end liquor, precious metals, hobby and character goods, and smart devices. Emphasizing store accessibility while targeting consumers' segmented tastes, the strategy is seen as an attempt to draw holiday gift demand long led by department stores and big-box retailers.
Kim Ji-young, a manager on the convenience store promotions team at GS Retail, said, "Recently, more customers are choosing products that combine practicality and a sense of specialness, taking into account the tastes and lifestyles of family and acquaintances when selecting holiday gifts."