Gmarket, Auction launch fast shipping to meet growing demand for baby formula

[Courtesy of Gmarket]

Multinational online e-commerce companies Gmarket Inc. and Auction Co. have launched a service that delivers infant formula for mothers with babies within a week as the demand for direct purchases of baby formulas on overseas marketplaces is increasing.

Gmarket and Auction announced Tuesday that they have partnered with international shipping service Malltail Inc. to ship German-made Aptamil Profutura infant formula from Germany on the same day of the order if it is ordered before noon.

The products are delivered in about five to seven business days, and a customer can order up to six cans and 5 kilograms daily according to the Customs Act.

Three types of Aptamil Profutura are available, which are sold in bundles of six and four.

Although not shipped on the ordered day, HiPP, a popular overseas baby formula product, will also be available.

The products on sale are HiPP Combiotic Stage Pre and HiPP Combiotic Stage 2-No Starch, which will be delivered in seven to 14 business days after being ordered.

“Existing overseas imported baby formulas took about three to four weeks to be delivered after ordering, and we introduced the overseas same-day shipping service to solve this inconvenience,” an official from Gmarket’s overseas direct purchase team said. “We plan to include more products in the service.”

This fast delivery service was temporarily introduced in July and gained popularity among online childcare communities.

Gmarket’s turnover for imported baby formula increased by 34 percent year over year in 2020, 14 percent in 2021, and 26 percent in 2022. The turnover during the first nine months of this year also grew by 35 percent from a year ago.

The value of imported baby formula transactions through overseas direct buying on Gmarket also rose by 26 percent last year from a year ago and 39 percent in the first nine months of this year.

Of the customers who purchased imported baby formulas through overseas direct purchase this year, those in their 30s accounted for the largest portion at 79 percent in terms of transaction value, followed by 40s at 17 percent and 20s at 3 percent.