"She Comes Every Three Months to Stock Up"... Surge of Foreign Visitors Entering Korea for Olive Young Sale

Elevenfold Surge Over Three Years
Repeat Customer Numbers Continue to Grow
Over 6,200 Foreign Visitors Came More Than Three Times Last Year
Non-Capital Area Sales Up 72%, Global Mall Traffic Also Soars
K-Beauty Becomes a Leading Touris

The number of foreign customers visiting Korea to coincide with CJ Olive Young's regular discount event, the 'Olive Young Sale,' has been rapidly increasing.

According to Olive Young, which analyzed foreign customer data in collaboration with Global Tax Free (GTF), the number of foreigners visiting Korea and shopping for K-beauty products during the Olive Young Sale periods in March and June of this year surged by 11 times compared to three years ago. Furthermore, the number of foreign visitors who come to Korea more than twice a year during the sale periods has nearly doubled each year since 2023.

Last year, more than 6,200 foreign tourists visited Korea three or more times during the Olive Young Sale periods. Given the nature of tax refunds, which require departure from Korea within a certain period, it is interpreted that these customers returned to their home countries and then re-entered Korea to shop again.

The Olive Young Sale is a large-scale event held four times a year in March, June, September, and December, with more than 1,500 beauty brands participating. Olive Young believes that the experience of K-beauty products, shopping convenience during their visit, and satisfaction with the products after returning home have led to repeat visits.

Foreign consumer spending is spreading not only in major tourist destinations such as Seoul but also to regional areas. During this June's sale period, foreign customer sales at non-metropolitan stores increased by 72 percent compared to the same period last year, surpassing the nationwide average growth rate of 45 percent. As overseas consumer interest rises, the number of visitors to Olive Young's Global Mall during the same period grew by more than 180 percent year-on-year.

Olive Young plans to strengthen K-beauty curation and shopping convenience services for foreign customers in order to respond to the growing demand from tourists.

An Olive Young representative stated, "The increase in foreigners returning to Korea during the Olive Young Sale period demonstrates that Olive Young has established itself as a leading K-beauty shopping destination," adding, "We will continue to enhance satisfaction among foreign tourists and expand opportunities for domestic brands to connect with global customers."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.