At "Nostalgia Blue Jae," a traditional hanok hotel in Bukchon, Seoul's Jongno district, on Monday, Seol Ji-eun, a housewife in her 40s, alternated applying red clay soap and a blemish compact to the backs of her hands, picking up and putting down each product. She was attending "Yuyujajeok Huihuinakrak," a customer invitation event hosted by Lotte Home Shopping.
"It feels completely different from watching on a TV screen," Seol said. "Seeing the products in person seems to spark a purchase desire that wasn't there before."
The venue recreated home shopping stepping out of the television. Lotte Home Shopping's key products were arranged and displayed throughout the hanok hotel, with customers moving along a set path to touch and experience items recommended by Lotte Home Shopping show hosts.
Participants pressed down on beds and bedding they had previously only seen on home shopping broadcasts, checking the texture and even sitting on them. They opened bottles of perfumes and air fresheners to smell the scents directly. As the fragrances filled the space, customers shared their preferences about which scents they liked more.
The one-day class, the centerpiece of the event, also emphasized hands-on experience. At the Damkkot tasting class held that day, customers sampled products currently sold on Lotte Home Shopping and experienced the Damkkot brand firsthand. After the tasting, they exchanged opinions on the depth of flavor and overall satisfaction alongside product explanations.
TV home shopping is a channel where purchasing decisions are based on show hosts' explanations and reactions. At this event, however, experiences involving all five senses naturally led to purchasing decisions. Questions about products poured in, and real-time communication between customers and show hosts—rarely seen on home shopping—took place on the spot.
Lotte Home Shopping is using the event as more than a simple customer experience, treating it as a "feedback collection channel." At the venue, pre-launch products were introduced and customer reactions were gathered. "Hearing reactions about taste and usability through settings like these before launching new products is an important and valuable asset for the company," a Lotte Home Shopping official said.
Lotte Home Shopping plans to expand such experience-based events. The company aims to move beyond invitation-only private events and extend them into open spaces accessible to anyone, broadening customer touchpoints. Feedback gathered on-site will be reflected in product planning to raise both purchase rates and customer satisfaction.
"The ultimate goal is to complement the non-face-to-face limitations of home shopping and increase touchpoints for direct communication with customers," the Lotte Home Shopping official said.
