From music to movies, technology to food, the world has fallen in love with everything South Korean. Just ask Gen Z. It all started with Seoul-based rapper Psy’s 2012 song Gangnam Style – “K-Pop” became a thing overnight. Teenagers everywhere embraced the colorful styles worn by K-Pop superstars like the groups BTS and NCT. South Korean music embraces clean living – none of the songs are about sex, drugs, or violence. Parents everywhere sighed a breath of relief. In terms of genre, K-Pop offers it all: a bit of disco, jazz, hip-hop, and some traditional Korean folk music elements. Korean pop stars are encouraged to remember that they represent their country in everything they do.

The Korea Wave – or “Hallyu”

K-Pop gave birth to the Korean Wave, a trend that is conquering the fashion and lifestyle industry everywhere. Korean-style outfits are striking combinations of bold colors, statement prints, and OTT silhouettes. The result is a mix-and-match of all the fashion world’s latest trends, albeit with a twist. Young fans of the K-Pop music genre worship their idols and the bands with undeterred passion, instantly influencing their personal style trends and looks.

In 2024, South Korea’s fashion e-commerce generated a whopping US$25 billion, roughly 18% of total e-commerce revenues, second only to electronics. In 2023, only approximately 901.8 million U.S. dollars worth of fashion apparel and accessories were exported from South Korea, representing a year-on-year decline from 2022. In other words: fashion e-commerce in South Korea overwhelmingly serves the home market. Big Western fashion brands like Givenchy, Moschino, and others have caught on to the huge popularity of the Korean Wave. Their collections over the past decade have mirrored some of the K-Pop elements, thus raking in huge successes among the younger generation.

South Korean fashion e-commerce

South Korea is one of the most digitally connected countries in the world, with approximately 19 million consumers fulfilling their daily needs online. The country ranks as the fourth largest e-commerce market globally, following China, the US, and the UK – and is projected to rise to third place in 2025.

In other words: South Korea is ripe for the picking of any savvy fashion e-commerce brand with the right kind of merchandise. Launching products in South Korea gives companies a golden opportunity to broaden their target audiences – exponentially.
A product that might occupy a niche in the domestic market, might turn out to be a massive hit in Korea.

Koreans are not loyal to any specific brands. This fickleness is demonstrated by their openness to change and experiment. Online shops looking for loyalty must regularly refresh their image to keep up with the rapidly developing market. Capturing the attention of online shoppers is paramount, i.e. influencer marketing, a sophisticated social media presence, ever-changing product ranges, and high-visibility campaigns.

A word of caution

Entry into the South Korean fashion e-commerce segment isn’t a walk in the park. The process requires in-depth preparation and market analyses, including – but not limited to – consumer behavior, guidelines related to commercial communication, marketing strategies, and SEO requirements. The venture can, however, be highly lucrative. The South Korean fashion e-commerce segment is fairly receptive and open to new ideas. The presence of foreign brands is still the exception and can lead to a “Wow” effect that – at this point – is unachievable in Western markets.

Bottom line

Most likely, you will not have thought about South Korea in terms of a possible new market. It is just too far away, the culture is incredibly foreign, and you wouldn’t know where to start getting a foot in the door. As mentioned above, it will involve a lot of planning, long hours, dedication, and a completely new look at your online sales platform. Are you ready to implement radical content changes at the drop of a hat? How will you cope with the amount of dynamic content required? Will a simple translation of your product texts be enough – or will you have to watch out for possible cultural slip-ups?

If you do want to take the step and get your brand or presence into the South Korean fashion e-commerce market, you will be well-advised to look for competent partners in this new – and hopefully very lucrative venture.



Sources

autor_eurotext_100Author: Eurotext Editorial Team

We explain how internationalization works, provide tips for your translation projects and outline some of the technology and processes used. We also report on current e-commerce developments and cover a range of language-related topics.