Rice cakes emerge as the next big trend after the ‘Dubai chewy cookie’ craze... convenience stores race to launch new products

[Financial News] From ‘Pizza Seolgi,’ a white rice cake topped with cheese and pepperoni, to ‘Fresh Chocolate Mochi,’ chewy glutinous rice cakes filled with fresh chocolate, rice cakes—once regarded as a traditional snack—are being transformed into desserts with new flavors and textures and emerging as a new craze, especially among people in their 20s and 30s. As ‘tteok pilgrimages’ in search of unusual rice cakes spread, particularly on social media (SNS), competition among convenience store chains to launch new products is heating up.
According to Naver Data Lab on the 27th, search interest in rice cakes has risen sharply in recent months. On an index that sets the period with the highest NAVER search volume at 100, clicks on searches for rice cakes climbed from 56 in June to 64 in August and then surged to 100 in September. Customers have been rushing to stores of Hanjeongseon, which sells glutinous rice cakes filled with fruit, while fresh chocolate-filled glutinous rice cakes launched by chocolate specialist Godiva have also been making waves on social media.
The distinctive crisp texture of kataifi is cited as a reason for the ‘Dubai chewy cookie’ (Dubai Chewy Cookie) craze that swept the country last year. Analysts say the current rice cake trend is also gaining popularity by highlighting a chewy texture.
Convenience store chains, where keeping up with trends is important, have quickly rolled out new rice cake products, driving a rapid rise in related sales. CU’s rice cake sales from January to September this year jumped 96.5% from the previous year. Two varieties of ‘Fresh Chocolate Mochi,’ launched last month, surpassed cumulative sales of 400,000 units in just one month, while rice cake sales from the 1st to the 22nd of this month rose 158.9% from the same period last year. This month, CU is expanding its product range with ‘Matcha-Flavored Mochi Pavé Chocolate,’ which combines mochi and pavé chocolate.
GS25 has launched ‘Pizza Seolgi,’ which drew attention on social media. From today through the end of this month, it is taking preorders for a limited run of 5,000 units through the Our Neighborhood GS app, with sales at stores nationwide beginning on the 5th of next month. The company says it launched the product frozen to preserve its texture, since rice cakes harden easily when refrigerated.
At 7-Eleven, rice cake sales from January to September this year rose 62% from the same period last year, far outpacing the 19% growth recorded during the same period a year earlier. Sales of rice cakes to foreign customers also rose 80%. The 130,000 units of ‘Chiroru Choco Injeolmi Mochi’ and ‘Choco Mochi’ prepared last year sold out in just two months, and sales have topped 200,000 units since the products were relaunched last month, the company said. On the 29th, it will introduce ‘Pumpkin Injeolmi Rice Cake’ and ‘Black Sesame Rice Cake,’ inspired by menu items at popular specialty rice cake shops.
Industry observers say products that pair rice cakes’ distinctive chewy texture with familiar flavors such as chocolate, matcha and pizza are drawing young consumers by also offering visual appeal on social media. A GS25 spokesperson said, “Consumers have recently shown strong interest in products that add new combinations and fun to familiar foods,” adding, “As with Pizza Seolgi, we will continue to introduce trend-driven products that reflect our customers’ rapidly changing preferences.”
[email protected] Kim Hyun-ji Reporter