Do you use any subscription services?
If you have a subscription, you can receive a product or service for a certain amount of time at a fixed monthly cost.
The main subscription services you're probably familiar with are Netflix or streaming services such as Apple Music or Spotify.
Recently, the subscription service market has continued to expand its categories.
Beyond streaming services, there is a wide variety of new subscription services that are emerging each day.
Today, let's find out what subscription services are available in Korea and why they are all the new buzz right now!
Types Of Subscription Services
Let's start with what types of unique subscription services are available in Korea.
Alcohol Subscription
Source: Instagram @sooldamhwa
Price: 39,000 won / month
Do you love to drink?
I like to enjoy a glass of beer every now and then with my friends along with some snacks.
I don't know too much about the various types of alcohol, so I usually stick with the same drink.
But if you subscribe to Sooldamhwa's (술담화) subscription box for 39,000 won a month, you can try new types of Korean alcohol every month.
Source: Instagram @sooldamhwa
Many people will just think of soju or makgeolli when it comes to Korean alcohol, but in fact, there are more than 1,200 breweries in Korea with more than 2000 types of alcohol.
In one subscription box, there are 2 to 4 bottles of traditional Korean alcohol and information cards.
The cards not only explain the basic information and taste of each product but also has snack recommendations.
Traditional alcohol is usually expensive, so it's a good deal for 2 to 4 bottles for 39,000 won per month.
Source: Instagram @sooldamhwa
The subscription box service helps small alcohol businesses in Korea that are having a hard time competing with bigger brands.
Also, it gives its subscribers a chance to figure out what type of alcohol they prefer by trying various bottles.
If you want to try other types of Korean alcohol besides soju and makgeolli, this is a great option for you.
Underwear Subscription
Price: 19,900 won / month
Did you know that women should be replacing their bras every six months?
It's important to wear a bra that fits your body because it's supposed to offer support.
Otherwise, the bra doesn't function the way it's supposed to and can put pressure on the body, causing problems such as indigestion and poor posture.
Source: inthewear
To solve this problem, the Korean brand, Inthewear (인더웨어) launched its monthly bra subscription service.
Inthewear sends new beautiful bras every month for 19,900 won per month so that women can feel comfortable and positive about their bodies.
You can even use the service for 9,900 won for the first three months to take the burden off!
Source: inthewear
To set up your subscription, you need to enter your body type information.
You can get bras that fit your body not only based on your size but the description of your overall body shape.
In addition, if you try on the bra you've received and upload your review, they'll recommend better bras that fit you the following month.
It's customized for your specific body shape so it's not only comfortable but fun to try many different designs.
There is an increasing number of people around me that subscribe to this service every month!
Flower Subscription![pukka flower subscription service]()
Source: kukka
Price: 17,900~ won / month
Kukka is the most famous flower brand in Korea.
You can buy beautiful bouquets online as well as its offline store and they even offer classes.
The most famous thing about Kukka is their regular subscription bouquets.
From small bouquets to large bouquets, you can choose your desired size out of the four sizes and select the period of time you'd like to subscribe for.
You will be able to receive fresh, beautiful bouquets every two weeks to make someone's day or to liven up your house!
Source: kukka
Usually, bouquets are only given and received on special days.
So there is a high satisfaction rate for their subscription service because it feels like a special day whenever you get your bouquet.
I subscribed to their service for my mom who loves flowers and you can even add letters to each bouquet to make it extra special.
Source: kukka
You can use their subscription service through our Creatrip flower delivery service, so you can refer to it if you are thinking of a nice gift for your loved ones.
Coffee Subscription
Source: Biz Chosun
As of 2018, it has been announced from a survey that an average Korean adult drinks 353 cups of coffee a year.
This means that we drink coffee every single day except for 12 days a year.
This is about 2.7 times the world average consumption.
You can gather from this information that Koreans really love their coffee.
Which makes sense for a coffee subscription service to appear.
Source: A Twosome Place
Coffee subscription services at franchise cafes or bakeries such as A Twosome Place, Ediya Coffee, Dunkin' Donuts, Paris Baguette, and Tous Les Jours are available for a monthly subscription fee of about 20,000 won.
For example, Tous Les Jours offers an Americano a day for 30 days for a subscription fee of 19,900 won.
It's a great deal because it means that each cup is only 663 won!
If you're an office worker or student who likes to drink coffee every day, wouldn't it be much more beneficial to use a coffee subscription service at a franchise cafe near the company or school?
Makeup Subscription
Source: memebox
Price: 19,900 won / month for 12 months
Makeup subscription services have been popular since 10 years ago.
At the time, various cosmetics were provided randomly each month but as the subscription services became popular again, they have developed even more.
One of the hottest makeup subscription boxes right now is Memebox that features beauty products from Korea.
Source: memebox
Memebox provides a variety of cosmetics that fit the concept of each month.
For example, the concept for April was 'cherry blossoms', for May it was 'photos', and for June it was 'high teen'.
The subscription box contains products worth 100,000 won but you can get it for 20,000 won with the subscription.
If you purchase makeup often, it would be a better deal to just get the subscription box, right?
Snacks Subscription
Source: lottesweetmall
Price: 9,900 won / month
Lotte Confectionery, one of the biggest snack companies in Korea recently released the first snack subscription service in Korea.
And rightfully so, it gathered a lot of attention from the public!
At first, they only offered the subscription box for the first 200 customers but they were all sold out within just 3 hours of its launch.
Thanks to the incredible love they received, you can now apply for the subscription box at Lotte Sweet Mall.
Source: lottesweetmall
The monthly subscription allows you to receive a box full of Lotte snacks.
Depending on the theme of each month, you can enjoy various snacks that fit the theme.
In addition, you will be able to try any new products released by the brand.
It's a great deal for people that are major snack lovers!
Car Subscription
Source: Hyundai
Price: 750,000~ won / month
Besides food and clothes, you can also subscribe to cars!
Hyundai Motor Company has released a car subscription service named Hyundai Selection in 2019.
Their service helps eliminate any burdens of paying taxes and insurance, and you can rent the car for as long as you would like.
Source: Hyundai
Based on the standard option, you can use a total of 4 cars, including Hyundai's All-New Avante, Venue, Sonata, and Tucson.
In addition, you can designate one additional driver so you can use the service with your friends or family for 375,000 won each.
Source: Hyundai
The Hyundai Selection allows you to use expensive cars at relatively low prices.
It's a great option for those in their 20s and 30s that can't afford to buy a car just yet, and for people who want to experience what it's like to drive the car before buying it.
The Popularity Of Subscription Services
So far, we have looked at various subscription services that are available in Korea.
According to the KT Economic and Management Research Institute, the size of Korea's subscription market has increased by 54% from 25 trillion won (Approx. $22 billion USD) in 2016 to 40 trillion won (Approx. $35 billion USD) in 2020.
So how did it become so popular?
1. No-contact Service Preferred Due To Covid-19
In fact, subscription services have been available for a long time.
There has always been milk, newspapers, magazines, and more subscription services.
However, the subscription service market has grown significantly since 2020 and its main reason for that can be related to the effects of Covid-19.
Source: cheli
With the preference for no-contact delivery rising due to Covid-19, consumers have become more accustomed to purchasing goods and services online.
Rather than buying products offline, they prefer to order the products online and have them delivered to their doorstep.
From the perspective of consumers, subscription services are safe and convenient.
A lot of companies saw this as an opportunity to earn more profit during the pandemic.
2. Cost-effective![graphic image of making payment on the phone]()
Source: cheli
Cost-effectiveness is the main reason why many consumers choose to subscribe to its services.
As you can see from the services I mentioned above, you can enjoy the same products at a cheaper price if you have a subscription.
The younger generation, who are more accustomed to using subscription services online, value cost-effectiveness because their income isn't high.
Therefore, those who want to buy products for a good deal will find these monthly services attractive.
3. Diverse Experiences
Affordable prices are an important factor, but in order to maintain its existing customers, they must be psychologically satisfied.
Recently, popular subscription services try to target the psychological satisfaction rate of the MZ generation (consumers in their teens to thirties) by offering diverse experiences.
If you look at the subscription services above, you'll see that they all emphasize new products every month except for the coffee subscription service.
Korean consumers these days would rather experience new unique things than choose a product for its durability.
The subscription services are gaining huge popularity because they don't send the same products each month but rather allows their users to try new products.
Today we looked at various subscription services that are available in Korea and the reasons behind their rising popularity.
Out of the services mentioned above, which subscription service are you most keen to try? Let us know in the comments down below!
