Elderly Embrace Online Shopping Amid Coronavirus Scare

Older Koreans have embraced online shopping as the coronavirus scare keeps persons at home.

The elderly had embraced the web to some extent but preferred to accomplish their shopping personally, but now that is changing as offline stores go out of masks, hand sanitizer and other necessities and some closed for quarantine.

According to online retailer 11st early this week, purchases by consumers within their 50s in late January surged 68 percent when compared to same period of this past year and among consumers within their 60s 48 percent. In contrast, purchases by people within their 20s grew only 27 percent and among 30-somethings 38 percent. Even among persons within their 70s, purchases rose 21 percent.

"Until 2015, consumers over 40 accounted for only 36.5 percent of total online purchases, but which has risen to over fifty percent as more middle-aged and older persons turned to online shopping," a 11st staffer said.

Masks and hand sanitizer were the most used products among customers over 40 at online retail center TMON. "Older persons consider the transaction process an entry barrier, nonetheless it looks like more people have overcome it as a result of outbreak," a TMON staffer said.

There are clear dissimilarities in the sorts of products older and younger customers buy. According to 11st, beverages accounted for the largest proportion of purchases by customers within their 20s and 30s, while persons over 50 bought natural supplements and fresh produce.

An increasing reluctance to eat in restaurants in addition has boosted online sales to older consumers. According to SSG.com, a website run by Shinsegae, the most popular products purchased among consumers in their 40s through 60s early this month were home meal replacements, which are fully or partially prepared meals that simply need to be heated up.

Sales to customers within their 40s to 60s grew eight times compared to the same period last year. Other surges were among immune-strengthening products like red ginseng extract and other natural supplements.