Baemin, Naver lead Korea’s fast-growing quick delivery market

From breakfast groceries to home goods, major platforms are redefining consumer expectations for speed.

Naver’s “Delivery Now” is a service that allows users to receive items from supermarkets, grocery stores, or convenience stores within a 1.5-kilometer radius in under an hour.The photo shows a “Delivery Now” rider picking up a customer’s order from a GS25 convenience store. /Courtesy of GS25

30-year-old corporate worker Choi Hyun-joo ordered a necklace from jewelry brand Swarovski through a delivery app before attending a celebration for her pregnant friend. Within 90 minutes of completing the order and payment, the necklace was delivered from Swarovski’s Gangnam branch to her office in Jongno. Choi said, “I haven’t been able to stop by the department store due to work, but I was reassured knowing the product was directly sent from a brand-operated store. The quick delivery left me feeling satisfied as well.”

Graphics by Lee Cheol-won

This “quick commerce” service—which delivers products within one to two hours of ordering—is rapidly expanding. Beyond groceries, it now encompasses jewelry, electronics, and books. The window for immediate delivery has also shifted earlier, allowing office workers and dual-income couples, in some areas, to even do grocery shopping before heading to work. The list of stores offering instant delivery is growing too, from convenience stores like GS25 and CU to supermarket chains such as Emart Everyday.

The main drivers of this shift are Baemin, short for delivery app Baedal Minjok, and Naver. On June 29, Baemin announced it would diversify its early-morning delivery service from five to eight stores. This service, operated by Baemin’s quick-commerce division Baemin B Mart, delivers breakfast ingredients beginning at 6 a.m.

Baemin has also partnered with brands like Swarovski, bookstore chain Youngpoong Bookstore, electronics retailer ET Land, and cosmetics brand Lush to offer delivery within roughly an hour of ordering.

Last month, Naver launched its “Delivery Now” service, which delivers items from nearby GS25, CU, Emart Everyday, and Homeplus Express locations within an hour. About 1,000 to 3,000 stores across GS25 and CU, respectively, have already implemented these services.

Since Coupang launched its “Rocket Delivery” (next-day delivery service) in 2014, the race for faster delivery has intensified—to the point where one-hour delivery has become the new standard. An industry insider noted, “As more consumers feel that even same-day or next-day delivery is too slow, retailers offering same-day service are now moving into the quick commerce space.”

Baemin is focusing on expanding its lineup of instantly deliverable items. A key example is its partnership with Shinsegae International’s lifestyle brand JAJU last December. When a customer places an order via Baemin, a JAJU store employee prepares and packages the item, and a Baemin delivery rider delivers it directly to the customer’s door. Some deliveries can be completed in as little as 30–40 minutes.

The items include non-food products such as clothing, kitchenware, cleaning supplies, and bedding. While same-day delivery had previously been possible via Emart Mall, even faster delivery is now available. A Shinsegae International representative stated, “Since launching one-hour delivery, we’ve seen strong consumer demand for even faster options than same-day delivery, so we plan to increase the number of serviceable stores,” adding, “We also expect this will help broaden our customer base.”

As the second-largest e-commerce player after Coupang, Naver is taking a different approach—partnering with a wide range of retailers to build a vast store network. Unlike Coupang, which operates its own logistics centers, Naver leverages the nationwide store networks of GS25, CU, Emart Everyday, and Homeplus Express.

When a customer places an order through Naver, the item is delivered from a nearby store within a 1.5-kilometer radius—allowing for delivery within an hour. A convenience store industry official noted, “From the convenience store’s perspective, this allows us to create new touchpoints with consumers by making the items they commonly seek in stores also available for purchase on Naver.”