Product gains traction across online and offline channels as company diversifies seaweed portfolio

[Provided by CJ CheilJedang]
[Provided by CJ CheilJedang]

CJ CheilJedang said Monday it has launched two new Bibigo canned seaweed products, riding the momentum of its Bibigo Gimbuak line.

The Bibigo Gimbuak range — available in three varieties: glutinous rice, spicy and shrimp — has sold a cumulative 500,000 packs since its June launch, as of late September. Sales in July were about 1.6 times higher than in the debut month, and the product has maintained steady monthly sales since then.

Foreign tourists visiting South Korea have been a significant source of demand. Sales at globally oriented stores — including Lotte Mart's Zeta-plex Seoul Station branch — account for nearly 70 percent of total sales. The product is currently available across all online and offline channels, including Lotte Mart, E-mart, convenience stores, CJ Olive Young, Coupang Inc and the company's official online store CJ The Market.

The two new canned seaweed products are Bibigo Chosari Gopchang Gim and Bibigo Imjado Gopchang Gim. Both use gopchang gim — a premium variety of seaweed harvested only during its first picking in early winter each year — and come in sealed cans. The canned seaweed market has grown at an average annual rate of 47 percent over the past three years. Sales of premium seaweed gift sets during this year's chuseok holiday rose more than 50 percent from a year earlier.

The new products will be sold first through online channels, including CJ The Market, Coupang Inc and Naver's brand store, with plans to expand into hypermarkets and convenience stores. The company will step up on-site marketing, including tasting events, at major hypermarket locations frequented by foreign tourists. Coupang Inc will run a "new product of the month" promotion through Nov. 15, while CJ The Market launched its own promotional event Monday.


andy@heraldcorp.com