From a 30-Million-Won Robot to Luxury Wine: How the Chuseok Gift Market Is Evolving

Retailers' holiday marketing this year is focused on offering unusual products that suit a wide range of consumer tastes, moving away from the past. The strategy is to break out of the traditional holiday gift set mold and provide new consumer experiences.

This shift reflects a trend in which consumer purchasing patterns are diversifying and personal satisfaction is increasingly valued.

Convenience store chains are drawing attention with bold, high-priced, unusual products as holiday gifts. CU has put a humanoid robot priced at around 31 million won on offer as a Chuseok gift, drawing buzz.

GS25 has also added a luxury wine priced around 9 million won and an AI conversation robot to its gift lineup, showing a clear push to strengthen premium products in the convenience store channel.

Demand for high-priced gifts is indeed surging at convenience stores. An analysis of this year's gift sales data shows that sales of gifts priced over 100,000 won, centered on differentiated products such as pure gold and diamond items, have grown by nearly 40%.

This suggests convenience stores are expanding their role beyond easily accessible retail outlets into a channel for selling premium products.

Food and hotel companies have also moved to win the Chuseok gift market by emphasizing their distinct brand identities. Daesang's Chungjeongwon, through a collaboration with artist Cha In-cheol, unveiled packaging with a sensitive design that raised the perceived value of its products.

BBQ assembled a gift set that combines its popular home meal replacement (HMR) products to maximize practicality. Through collaborations and practical configurations like these, companies are pursuing both premium demand and utility at the same time.

The Shilla... The Josun Hotel has offered a range of gift products that carry the expertise of its chefs and more than a century of history. Beyond signature products such as Josun Hotel kimchi and towel sets, it has broadened consumer choice with a wide assortment, from practical items priced at 100,000 to 200,000 won up to top-tier high-end collections.

Traditionally, fruit and Korean beef sets were the go-to holiday gifts, but recently customized gifts that consider the recipient's tastes and preferences have become the mainstream. This is interpreted as the combined result of holiday trend changes, including a deepening consumption split amid high prices and the rise of single-person households.

Consumers tend to prefer distinctive products that raise the recipient's satisfaction rather than simply expensive gifts.