Trending products of 2015

Samsung Pay
Samsung Pay is often touted as one of the most successful mobile payment solutions thanks to its versatility. The mobile payment system works with both NFC and magnetic strip terminals, while U.S. tech firm Apple’s payment app is only compatible with NFC terminals.


Instagram 
Korea is one of the fastest-growing markets for Instagram, the photo-sharing mobile app owned by Facebook, with its user numbers more than doubling over the past year. 


KakaoTaxi 
Calls for KakaoTaxi, Kakao’s popular taxi app that launched in March, hit the 50 million mark in December.


Drone
The drone sector came into the limelight this year as the unmanned aerial vehicles can be used in a wide range of industries including agriculture, construction, e-commerce and telecommunications.


Jjawang
Jjawang is Nongshim’s premium instant black bean sauce noodle that launched in April. It became Korea’s fourth-best-selling noodle in 2015, edging out Nongshim’s Neoguri and Samyang’s Samyang Ramen.


Ikea
By appealing to Korean consumers with modern aesthetic design and affordable prices, Swedish furniture giant Ikea attracted over 6.8 million visitors to its first store in Korea in the little over a year since it was opened in 2014.


Korean-style buffets
From CJ’s Season’s Table to E-Land’s Nature Kitchen and Shinsegae’s Hansik Olbaan, the country’s leading conglomerates jumped into the buffet business serving Korean food-based options instead of the conventional Western-oriented food, attracting rave reviews and long lines. 


Mild soju
A list of mild, fruity versions of soju were a hit this year, winning over female consumers in search of sweet flavors. Lotte Chilsung Beverage’s Soonhari Chum Churum is one of several soju selections with lower alcohol content than original soju products, and come in flavors such as citron.


Rash Guard
A rash guard is a long-sleeved, narrow-necked item of athletic waterwear made of skin-tight, spandex fabric. The athletic costume guards against the sun and accentuates the curves of the body while maintaining a slim waistline and holding in excess flesh.

(khnews@heraldcorp.com)