Early Heat Wave Fuels Surge in Ready-to-Eat Meal Demand

As an early heat wave pushed daytime temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius, the retail and delivery industries are stepping up ready-to-eat meal launches and marketing. With more consumers reluctant to spend long cooking times in the heat, a wave of instant foods and health-food promotions that can complete a meal with only microwave preparation has followed.

Demand for instant meals is growing rapidly on Baemin B Mart, operated by delivery platform Baedal Minjok, according to the retail industry on the 11th. Baemin B Mart said orders in the instant meal category, including gimbap and triangle gimbap, rose more than 90 percent last month from a year earlier. Transaction volume over the same period surged more than 140 percent.

Products that only need to be microwaved also showed growth. Orders for "Range-Up Chicken" products increased more than 20 percent from a year earlier, while transaction volume rose about 40 percent. Baemin, having confirmed such demand, plans to expand its Range-Up product lineup while strengthening its ready-to-eat lineup with price competitiveness through the development of private brand (PB) products.

SSG.com has also moved to capture ready-to-eat meal demand. SSG.com said it is running an "Ultra-Easy Home Meal Project" that links ready-to-eat promotions, short-form content, and exclusive product development. Under the project, SSG.com selects flagship products based on price competitiveness, cooking convenience, and taste, and introduces them at two-week intervals. The company explained that it was designed to meet consumer demand to reduce the burden of the cooking process.

Ahead of the dog days of summer, competition in ready-to-eat health foods is also intensifying in earnest. Kurly opened a promotion called "Everything About Boknal Health Foods," selling more than 500 value-for-money summer health-food items at discounts of up to 40 percent. It targeted consumer demand centered on health-food products such as samgyetang (ginseng chicken soup) and galbitang (short rib soup) that can be simply reheated at home.

The retail industry sees the early heat wave and high prices simultaneously driving the expansion of ready-to-eat meal demand. "As the heat wave arrived early, more consumers are trying to reduce the time they spend in the kitchen," an industry official said. "Demand for ready-to-eat meals that can be simply cooked is increasing."