Shinsegae Group Unveils 'Shinsegae Universe' to Rival Coupang, Targets 10M Subscribers in 5 Years

South Korea's retail giant, Shinsegae Group, has introduced 'Shinsegae Universe', an ambitious membership program aiming to secure 10 million subscribers and spur a 50% sales boost within five years. This strategic move aims to compete with e-commerce leader, Coupang while enhancing customer loyalty across Shinsegae's shopping platforms.

Shinsegae Group unleashed its Shinsegae Universe paid membership program on Thursday, June 8. The launch is said to be a clever move to lock in customers and make them more loyal to units across all the brand's shopping platforms.

Moreover, the South Korean department store giant is using the program to compete with Coupang, which is its rival in the e-commerce sector. The e-commerce firm is currently no. 1 in its field, so Shinsegae is hoping to keep up with it.

Registration to be part of the Shinsegae Universe is not free and requires an annual fee of KRW30,00, which is about $23. Once a member, the customer will enjoy many benefits, such as a five percent discount at some popular affiliates of the Shinsegae Group, including Starbucks, Shinsegae Duty-Free, Shinsegae Department Store, E-mart, Gmarket, and SSG.com., as per The Korea Herald.

Members must be ready as cashback worth KRW30,000 is another perk that cannot be missed. This can be used when buying something from the company's affiliates as well. Those who will shop at the mentioned stores will get a discount but has a limit of KRW250,000 per year. For the duty-free outlets, up to 15% maximum discount is offered.

Korea Joongang Daily further mentioned that at Starbucks, members of the Shinsegae Universe could get five beverage coupons as part of the perk offerings. They can also earn an additional "star" for all of their purchases in the stores. This gives them the advantage of collecting coupons faster to get free beverages.

"Shinsegae Group evolved into a multi-platform retail system that can meet the detailed shopping demands for diverse customers across online and offline markets," Emart's chief executive officer, Kang Heui Seok, said during the inauguration ceremony for the new membership program. "With Shinsegae Universe, we will set a new standard for future retail in Korea by utilizing Shinsegae's online and offline data, along with its logistics infrastructure across the country."

Photo by: Shinsegae Website