According to a study by KOISRA, Korean e-commerce ranks among the global leaders. The market is the fourth largest in the world and the largest per capita, with a value of USD 3,749. Most sales take place through online marketplaces. In April 2026, Coupang led with 33.30 million unique visitors, followed by 11st with 7.70 million, Naver Shopping with 7.52 million, and Gmarket with 6.90 million. In 2025, the main online transaction categories were food and beverages at 22.2 percent, fashion at 17.3 percent, electronics at 13.4 percent, household goods at 11.7 percent, and cosmetics at 8.1 percent. Cross-border online purchases reached USD 5.9 billion last year, increasing by more than 74 percent since 2020 and by 216 percent since 2017. The number of users purchasing online from abroad tripled to 15.57 million in 2022. Purchases from the European Union and the United Kingdom reached a total value of USD 456 million in 2025.

According to a 2025 customer survey by Coupang, the main deciding factor for Korean consumers in cross-border online purchases is low price, accounting for 36.9 percent, followed by verified authenticity of goods at 31.7 percent and customer reviews at 15.9 percent. Most purchases fall within the price range of 10,000 to 300,000 KRW. The largest share of customers, 25 percent, shopped in the 50,000 to 100,000 KRW range, another 23 percent in the 10,000 to 30,000 KRW range, and 21 percent in the 100,000 to 300,000 KRW range. The strongest purchasing power is shown by consumers aged 30 to 39, who more frequently choose the 100,000 to 300,000 KRW range compared to other age groups. For cross-border purchases, the most commonly accepted delivery time is two weeks at 39.9 percent, followed by one week at 18.3 percent and three weeks at 13.3 percent. Regionally, North America is the most preferred at 60.9 percent, followed by China at 47.8 percent and Japan at 45.4 percent.

This unique event aimed at increasing Czech exports to South Korea through e-commerce platforms was organized in mid-June by the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Seoul together with the CzechTrade agency office. As part of an economic diplomacy project funded by the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic, representatives of consulting firms specializing in online sales in Korea, as well as representatives of the leading local platform Coupang, traveled to the Czech Republic. They presented their knowledge and experience during a full-day seminar attended by around thirty Czech companies at the Ministry of Industry and Trade. The event also included one-on-one matchmaking meetings. The event was also supported by the participation of Michal Klucka, Director of the Department of Digital Economy and Smart Specialisation at the Ministry.

Additional important information can be found at the following links:

1. Coupang: Coupang, Inc. | Coupang Newsroom
2. KOISRA: https://www.koisra.co.kr/insights/

Coupang

Coupang

Interested Czech companies may contact the commercial section of the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Seoul at: seoul.commerce@mzv.gov.cz.

Jakub Kopecky, Economic Diplomat, Embassy of the Czech Republic in Seoul