Chinese Shoppers Spend Huge Sums on Korean Online Stores

Chinese shoppers spent an average of W190,000 per purchase in Korean online stores, according to a poll by the Korea Consumer Agency published Monday (US$1=W1,172).

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Some of them spent around W6 million on one purchase and they shopped a whopping 32 times a year on average. The most popular goods were cosmetics with 77 percent, followed by clothing with 53 percent and bags, wallets and fashion accessories with 37 percent.

Respondents were able to give multiple answers.

Some 99 percent said they want to use Korean online stores again. Asked why they shop there, 58 percent said good quality, while 50 percent said confidence that the products are genuine. Some 49 percent cited the wide choice.

However, 20 percent of the respondents said they had a bad experience. Shipping delays or losses accounted for the largest proportion, followed by refusal to accept returns, cancelations or refunds, and excessive shipping charges.

According to Statistics Korea, overseas shoppers spent a total of W551.2 billion at Korean online stores in the third quarter of this year, and Chinese customers accounted for 79 percent with W437.1 billion.