From Practical Gifts to Presents Worth Tens of Millions of Won: Food and Retail Industries’ Chuseok Gift Showdown

[Financial News] With high prices and high interest rates persisting and consumer sentiment weakening, competition among food and retail companies to attract customers is intensifying ahead of the Chuseok holiday.
Companies are waging an all-out battle to expand their share of the holiday market, offering increasingly polarized product lines ranging from practical daily necessities optimized for value to ultra-high-priced premium gifts with an element of scarcity.
According to industry sources on the 9th, the defining keyword for this year’s Chuseok marketing is “consumer polarization.” This is because two trends have become increasingly evident: budget-conscious consumers who prioritize reasonable prices and practicality, and growing premium demand from those who want to express their feelings with the finest gifts at least during the holiday.
CJ CheilJedang is launching a record 260 types of gift sets for Chuseok. In response to increasingly diverse preferences, the company has strengthened its premium gift-set lineup and expanded its processed-food-centered gift-set category to include fresh foods.
The premium product line features the tuna brand Calvo. The company has prepared standalone sets containing Calvo sunflower-oil tuna or olive-oil tuna, as well as combination sets featuring Spam and Calvo tuna. CJ CheilJedang plans to expand its seafood product lineup, including tuna, in future gift sets.
Daesang Chungjungone has developed its price ranges and product configurations, from practical options to high-end premium products. It has prepared comprehensive sets featuring seasonings, sauces, cooking oils, and canned ham that are highly useful in everyday life. Its premium lineup includes a sesame-oil roasting selection, along with a set of three olive oils made from the Arbequina, Hojiblanca, and Picual varieties.
Dongwon F&B has prepared about 110 types of Chuseok gift sets this year. The number of gift-set types centered on high-protein tuna products has also increased by about 20%.
Retailers are seeking to expand demand for Chuseok gifts with practical products offering good value and aggressive benefits for advance reservations. In particular, they are targeting demand for high-priced premium products with special lineups costing tens of millions of won.
CU Convenience Store (CU) has introduced about 710 types of gift sets this year, including a 31 million won bipedal humanoid robot, a 3.99 million won robot dog, and a 2.7 million won massage chair. GS25 is selling Liku, a social robot that recognizes users’ emotions and responds with facial expressions and movements, for 5.5 million won, and SenseRobot Go, a Go-playing robot, for 1.58 million won. Hyundai Department Store has prepared 120,000 Korean beef gift sets for Chuseok this year, 10% more than last year. It is the largest scale ever.
Department stores have lowered the price barrier by expanding their product ranges and strengthening advance-reservation benefits. Shinsegae Department Store increased the number of advance-reservation products by 25% year on year to about 370 and expanded the categories beyond agricultural, livestock, and seafood products to include Korean food, alcoholic beverages, desserts, and health foods. Hyundai Department Store expanded its product lineup to include beauty products, home appliances, and tableware, along with traditional foods. Lotte Department Store applied discounts of up to 50% to advance-reservation products.
An industry official forecast, "This year’s Chuseok is one in which sharply divided consumption trends—value and premium—coexist. Analyzing customers’ diversified needs and simultaneously stabilizing the supply of value-for-money products while differentiating the premium lineup will be the key to determining success during the holiday shopping season."


[email protected] Kim Seo-yeon Reporter