Korea's retail industry up 9.2% in March

Online sales led the growth with a 19% increase.

Korea’s retail industry grew by 9.2% year-on-year in March 2025, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy (MOTIE). Online sales led the growth with a 19.0% increase, whilst offline sales fell 0.2%.

MOTIE's data, based on surveys of 23 major retailers, showed that traditional offline categories struggled.

Hypermarkets and department stores saw declines, with hypermarkets down 0.2% and department stores down 2.1%. Fashion and home appliances were the worst performers. However, convenience stores (up 1.4%) and super supermarkets (up 3.6%) saw growth due to local shopping preferences.

Online sales saw a significant rise, driven by food products (up 19.4%) and services (up 78.3%) due to increased online delivery and food delivery demand. However, fashion and sports categories continued to decline, with drops of 4.7% and 10.1%, respectively.

Back-to-school demand boosted home appliances and consumer electronics (up 7.8%), while cosmetics grew by 7.5%, benefiting from increased online sales.