Shinsegae Group is restructuring its e-commerce operations. SSG.com will separate its grocery and lifestyle businesses into distinct entities, while Gmarket will introduce a same-day delivery service in partnership with Trader's, a warehouse-style discount store. This strategy aims to specialize operations while flexibly connecting affiliate assets.
According to the retail industry on August 30, Gmarket will open a 'Trader's Same-Day Delivery Center' on September 1. Customers will be able to order fresh produce, large packaged foods, ready-to-eat meals, bottled water, and household goods, including Trader's private brand 'T Standard' and internationally sourced products.
Delivery will be managed through 20 locations nationwide, including the Trader's stores in Gyeonggi Province. Customers can select a store based on their address and specify a delivery time to receive their products on the same day. This structure combines Gmarket's e-commerce platform with Trader's sourcing capabilities and offline store network.
Same-day grocery delivery is not a new venture for Gmarket. Since 2015, it has partnered with Homeplus to deliver fresh food from stores on the same day, but this service ended in June due to Homeplus's store closures. Now, Gmarket is re-establishing its grocery delivery service with Trader's as a new partner.
This time, the collaboration utilizes Shinsegae's offline assets rather than relying on an external retailer. For Shinsegae, this means leveraging Trader's offline competitiveness alongside Gmarket's customer base without significant logistics investments.
Gmarket is also accelerating its growth. The company reported a 14% increase in transaction volume on its site in the first half of this year compared to the same period last year. Overall transaction volume has returned to growth for the first time in four years. Gmarket aims to double its transaction volume within five years by investing in sellers and customers and expanding its global business.
As Gmarket strengthens its grocery collaboration with Trader's, SSG.com is moving forward with its business specialization. On August 27, SSG.com announced it would spin off its lifestyle division, creating a grocery-focused SSG.com and a new entity tentatively named Shinsegae Mall, which will handle fashion, beauty, and lifestyle products. This marks the first major restructuring since the integrated company was established seven years ago.
While the entities will be separate, they will maintain connections. After the split, customers will still be able to purchase Shinsegae Mall products through the SSG.com app. Shinsegae Mall will also enhance its own platform while expanding customer access through external channels like SSG.com. An SSG.com representative stated, "By spinning off, we aim to enhance the expertise of each business and respond more swiftly to market changes based on independent decision-making systems."
Industry insiders noted, "The common direction of Shinsegae's recent e-commerce restructuring is to focus on the strengths of each platform while flexibly integrating affiliate offline assets as needed. The next point of interest will be whether this division of roles can lead to improved profitability beyond just revenue growth."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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