S. Korea's online platforms come up with new ideas in selling fresh food

Demand for fresh food via online shopping continues to rise in South Korea, prompting major e-commerce platforms to offer new services for grocery shoppers.

Coupang recently launched “Fine Table” via its fast delivery service, Rocket Wow, offering some 200 food products, ranging from premium beef to fruit, seafood, and pastries from better-known bakeries.

Online grocer Orga Whole Foods made a drastic change to its supply chain by cutting off middlemen, such as stores or warehouses, to allow next-day delivery.

Thus, products such as free-range eggs and non-antibiotic shrimp were brought from the source to customers.

The shrimp is caught off the coast of South Jeolla Province and delivered on ice within a day.

Instead of putting an expiration date, Orga placed a production date on the label.

WeMakePrice recently announced it would fully refund shoppers dissatisfied with the quality of perishable goods they sold.

The return rate was nearly zero during the trial period of the quality assurance service, as the company vowed to offer fresh groceries.

Moves to offer new grocery shopping services come as more shoppers have been taking to the internet out of health concerns.

According to eBay Korea, sales of fresh groceries increased 19 percent between Sept. 14 and 23 from the same period last year, while sales of overall staple goods jumped 17 percent.

The company says the data reflects multiple factors that are affected by one another.