[비즈한국] The World Cup begins this Friday, but expectations from the retail and delivery platform industries are lower than ever. Because the matches are being held in Canada, Mexico, and the United States, it is difficult to expect a 'special seasonal boost.' Typically, during the World Cup, people would gather with family and friends in the evening, late at night, or on weekend mornings to order chicken and beer while cheering together. However, since the matches are held on weekday mornings this time, some observe that demand may instead shift toward convenience stores.
Expectations only exist if they reach the Round of 16 by finishing 2nd in the group
The North and Central America World Cup will kick off with the opening match between Mexico and South Africa at 4:00 AM on the 12th. South Korea, placed in the same group as host nation Mexico, will face the Czech Republic (1st match), Mexico (2nd match), and South Africa (3rd match) in the group stage.
The problem is that all matches take place on 'weekday mornings.' The first match is on Friday the 12th at 11:00 AM (Czech Republic), the second match is on Friday the 19th at 10:00 AM, and the third match is on Thursday the 25th at 10:00 AM. They begin at '10:00–11:00 AM on weekdays,' when employees have already started work and students are at school. Since it is difficult for most family members to be home together during the times when the matches are in full swing, the prevailing sentiment in the delivery app industry is that it is hard to expect a peak season for alcohol and delivery orders.
An official from the delivery app industry explained, "These are times when office workers are at their jobs and students should be listening to lectures in classrooms. Since family and friends cannot easily gather in small groups to cheer together, we do not see demand for delivery food increasing significantly."
This is similar even if they advance to higher rounds. If they advance to the Round of 32 as the group winner, the match will be held at 10:00 AM on Wednesday, July 1; if they advance as the runner-up, the Round of 32 match will be held at 4:00 AM on Monday, June 29. If they barely make it as the third-place team in Group A, matches are scheduled for 5:30 AM on Tuesday the 30th or 5:00 AM on Thursday, July 2. All these are schedules where it is difficult to anticipate a 'delivery boost.'
It is only worth expecting a boost if they reach the Round of 16. If they receive a bracket as the 2nd place in Group A, the match will be held at 2:00 AM on Sunday the 5th. However, if they advance to the Round of 16 as the winner of Group A, the match will be held at 9:00 AM on Monday the 6th. Only by advancing to the Round of 16 as the 2nd place in Group A can they get a match time in the early hours transitioning from Saturday to Sunday, allowing them to expect a 'delivery boost.'
Although the delivery platform industry used to see orders explode to the point of paralyzing servers during every World Cup season, they have no choice but to be passive with marketing for this tournament. Baedal Minjok (Baemin) and Coupang Eats are not conducting large-scale promotions or discount events specific to this World Cup, and only Yogiyo is currently running events featuring brand discounts and point accumulation. They plan to focus on accumulation benefits that grow with the number of orders, menu discounts that are good for enjoying while watching sports, and special events for winning with victory wishes.
Convenience stores significantly expand related food promotions
While delivery apps have low expectations, offline retail channels like convenience stores and some liquor companies are conducting marketing tailored to the irregular match times. This takes into account the consumption pattern of single-person households looking for 'light snacks' at convenience stores before watching the matches.
In fact, when CU analyzed sales during the international baseball tournament last March, sales for the three hours before the start of South Korean matches increased by an average of 20% compared to the previous month, and by more than 45% in the one hour immediately before the match. In particular, sales of alcohol increased by 33%, snacks by 31.4%, and beverages by 21.8%, while beer sales rose by more than 50% depending on the match schedule.
To capture this demand, CU is running aggressive discount events centered on beer, chicken, and snacks where demand is concentrated before and after matches, while also hosting a 'Cheer for South Korea's Round of 32' event. 7-Eleven is adopting a strategy to leverage its competitiveness in instant cooked foods. They plan to significantly expand promotions centered on chicken and pizza throughout the month of June.
Emart24 has chosen a strategy of soccer passion and experiential content, decorating its flagship store 'Trend Lab Seongsu' as a soccer-themed Lego pop-up zone. Furthermore, they are holding discount events for popular beer bundles and score prediction events for the South Korean national team at stores nationwide.
A retail industry official explained, "In the past, the World Cup special was concentrated on chicken, beer, and street cheering, but since this year's flow is quite different, expectations vary by industry. With match times set for weekday mornings rather than at night, the convenience store-centered retail industry is looking forward to demand for on-the-go breakfasts, lunch snacks, and office or home viewing."