"Clicking Instead of Going to the Supermarket After Work"... 54.2% Now Shop for Groceries Online

[Financial News] Online shopping is becoming the preferred choice even for grocery shopping. As online food transaction volume continues to rise, card companies are also expanding benefits for online shopping and membership subscriptions.
According to credit card platform Card Gorilla on the 28th, a survey of 3,986 website visitors conducted from July 21 to August 10 asked, "Where do you usually shop for groceries these days?" The largest share, 54.2% (2,162 votes), chose "online (Naver, Kurly Inc., Coupang, etc.)."
"Large supermarkets (FRESH 365, E-Mart, Costco Wholesale Corporation, etc.)" ranked second with 19.9% (793 votes). They were followed by convenience stores at 7.9% (316 votes), food ingredient markets and direct sales outlets at 7.5% (300 votes), department stores at 4.4% (176 votes), corporate supermarkets at 3.9% (157 votes), and traditional markets at 2.1% (82 votes).
The share of online grocery shopping surpassing all offline retail channels is a notable shift compared with the past. In a Chuseok grocery survey conducted by Card Gorilla in August 2023, large supermarkets ranked first with 42.1%, while online shopping came in second at 24.3%.
The online shopping market is also growing in reality. According to the Ministry of Data and Statistics, the value of food transactions in online shopping reached about 52.3 trillion won in 2025, up 10.4% from a year earlier. The value of household goods transactions also rose 4.4% to about 19.8 trillion won. On Card Gorilla's "custom card search," searches for online shopping benefits in the first half of this year increased 16% from the second half of last year.
Card companies are expanding related benefits. Woori Card Co., Ltd.'s "Card of Wisdom 2 SHOPPER" offers discounts for online shopping, large supermarkets, and department stores, while also discounting recurring membership payments such as Coupang Wow Membership, Naver Plus Membership, and Kurly Members.
LG Card's "Discount Plan+" also offers discounts for online shopping and supermarkets, along with recurring membership payment discounts. Hyundai Card Co., Ltd.'s "ZERO Up (point type)" earns 1.2% points at domestic and overseas merchants without requiring a minimum spending threshold in the previous month, and provides additional rewards for payments of 100,000 won or more at major online malls and large supermarkets.
Go Seung-hoon, CEO of Card Gorilla, said, "The preference for online shopping, which is not limited by time or place, is growing," adding, "In card usage, not only benefits for traditional offline stores but also shopping memberships and simple payment services are likely to become more widely used."


[email protected] Hong Ye-ji Reporter