Home shopping firms go offline with beauty stores, culture events

Home shopping companies are rolling out offline-linked strategies to counter a prolonged industry slowdown, stepping up efforts to engage customers through in-person experiences such as beauty stores and cultural programs.

According to industry sources on Sunday, Hyundai Home Shopping has been operating a new VIP-only offline experience program, dubbed the “VIP Culture Class,” since the second half of this year. It marks the first time a home shopping company has launched an offline program exclusively for customers.

The program has offered a total of five classes, including sake tastings, personal color makeup sessions, tea tastings and meditation, aimed at strengthening customer loyalty. “By providing differentiated benefits for VIPs, we plan to attract new high-value customers and retain them as long-term loyal clients,” a Hyundai Home Shopping official said.

The strategy has already delivered tangible results. The average spending per person in Hyundai Home Shopping’s VIP-only live commerce channel rose 24 percent from a year earlier, while monthly sales at its premium customer lounge jumped 70 percent year on year. In October alone, the number of VIP customers who made purchases at least 10 times on Hyundai H Mall reached around 13,000, an 82 percent increase from the same month last year.

Hyundai Home Shopping has also opened a beauty select shop named Coasis at Hyundai Premium Outlet SPACE 1e, located in Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province. It is the first home shopping operator in Korea to run an offline beauty store.

Rivals are following suit. CJ OnStyle recently hosted a mini fashion show for VIP customers and their daughters, inviting only 30 guests to showcase its fall–winter new arrivals. Lotte Home Shopping operates a dedicated lounge on its mobile app for paid members of its VIP program, L Club.