"A Whole Watermelon Is Too Big and Expensive"...What Shoppers Are Choosing Over Seasonal Fruit

Sikbom, Korea's Leading Open Market for Food Ingredients, Analyzes Summer Ingredient Search Trends
Searches for Frozen Watermelon Surge 405%
Increase in Purchases of Processed Watermelon Products

As the prices of fresh fruit surge during the hot summer months, demand for frozen fruit, which can serve as a substitute, has soared. This trend appears to be driven by the high cost-effectiveness, taste retention, and greater convenience in storage and operations, leading more people to choose frozen fruit over fresh produce.

Sikbom, a food ingredients open market operated by Marketboro, analyzed search volumes for summer ingredients last month and found that searches for frozen watermelon increased by 405% compared to the same month last year. In addition, searches for mango and watermelon juice, which are mainly frozen products, rose by 213% and 206%, respectively.

This trend is interpreted as a result of the growing burden of fresh fruit prices, especially for watermelon and mango. According to data released by the Ministry of Data and Statistics, the consumer price index for watermelon last month rose 10.9% year-on-year, while mango prices increased by 30.3%.

Changes in consumption patterns are also seen as a contributing factor. With the increase in single- and two-person households, more consumers are opting for single-serving beverages like watermelon juice instead of purchasing whole watermelons. This shift in demand has led to a rise in related ingredient searches by food service businesses.

In June, sales of whole watermelons on Sikbom increased by 38% compared to the same month last year, while sales of processed watermelon products such as frozen watermelon surged by 359%. Sales of processed mango products, including frozen mango, more than doubled over the same period. Frozen watermelon and frozen mango retain their taste, offer excellent convenience for storage and operations, and can be used in precise quantities needed for beverage and dessert menus. As a result, food service businesses seeking to reduce operational burdens are increasingly purchasing these products.

Search volumes for other ingredients related to popular summer menu items also saw significant increases. Whole sweetened red beans, an ingredient for shaved ice, rose by 134% year-on-year. Searches for buckwheat (used in makguksu and naengmyeon) and pickled radish for naengmyeon increased by 122% and 114%, respectively.

In response, Sikbom is launching a "Summer Popular Food Ingredient Collection" discount promotion this month. The event is organized around ingredients essential for summer store operations, including staple summer menu items such as naengmyeon, cold soba, and soybean noodle soup, as well as health food ingredients like abalone, chicken leg quarters, and smoked duck. Frozen fruits such as frozen watermelon, frozen apple mango, and frozen blueberries—which are used for summer beverages and desserts aimed at beating the heat—will also be featured.

A Sikbom representative stated, "Given the importance of freshness and delivery reliability for summer food ingredients, we are focusing on the 'Fresh Delivery' products, which allow for optimal-temperature storage and free bundled delivery from multiple sellers, even with small orders." The representative added, "We will continue to organize timely promotions to reduce the purchasing burden on food service businesses and provide practical support for stable store operations."

Sikbom, the leading open market platform for food ingredients in Korea, features over 200,000 different products. In February, CJ Freshway became the largest shareholder of Marketboro, the operator of Sikbom.

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