Lotte Home Shopping taps star show hosts

Dong Ji-hyun

Lotte Home Shopping is set to bolster its presence in the beauty market for middle-aged consumers by leveraging star show hosts. Amid the home shopping industry’s sluggish performance due to economic downturn and declining TV viewership, the home shopping company aims to enhance profitability by increasing sales of beauty products, which offer relatively higher margins and cater to a demographic with significant purchasing power.

According to industry sources on Sunday, Lotte Home Shopping is gearing up to debut its first beauty program, “Dong Ji-hyun’s Beauty Collection,” featuring famous show host Dong Ji-hyun who has 24 years of experience. The program is scheduled to air for the first time on April 28th, 2024, with plans for weekly broadcasts on Sundays and one weekday.

Lotte, considered one of the top four players in the Korean home shopping industry alongside GS, CJ, and Hyundai, previously showed strength in the fashion and living sectors with programs like “L-Show” and “Choi Yoo-ra Show.” As its current presence in the beauty sector has been relatively subdued, Lotte aims to aggressively target the beauty market for consumers aged 40 to 60 with the launch of programs featuring show hosts like Dong. Known for her calm demeanor and extensive fashion knowledge, Dong has carved out a unique position as a show host, particularly amid the recent controversies surrounding veteran show hosts. Currently affiliated with CJ ENM, she hosts the fixed program “Dong’s Store” on CJ OnStyle. Industry insiders estimate that Dong’s appearances on shopping channels could generate sales close to 400 billion won ($290 million) annually.

Beauty products, known for their high margins in the home shopping industry alongside food items, have been a focal point for Lotte Home Shopping in 2024l. The company increased its beauty product programming time to 288 hours in the first quarter of the year, up more than 16 percent compared to the same period during the previous year, which led to an about 30 percent increase in order volume. The “Beauty of Joseon” sunscreen, ranked number one on Amazon in the United States, sold out 4,000 sets within 25 minutes of its launch on April 12th, 2024.

The Korean home shopping beauty market recently saw a surge in imported brands including Eugene Perma from France and La Prairie from Switzerland that have overshadowed domestic brands. Lotte Home Shopping’s program with Dong Ji-hyun is also expected to focus on directly imported cosmetics and high-performance beauty products.