The portion of men shopping at department stores in South Korea is trending higher, which could make up for a loss of female shoppers who are increasingly turning to online and mobile shopping, data showed Tuesday.
Male customers at nationwide branches of Lotte Department Store, the country's biggest department store operator, represented 27 percent of shoppers this year, up 4 percentage points from the same period five years ago, according to company data.
The data also showed that the latest reading marks a 1 percentage point rise from the figure at the end of last year.
To cater to a growing number of male shoppers, the retailer has introduced stores that specialize in male apparel and accessories.
"We are seeing a rise in the number of men who are interested in spending on cosmetics products or clothing," said Ryu Hyun-seok, a merchandiser at the department store. "We plan to continue to expand stores specializing in products for men since we believe their potential buying power is huge."
The rise in male shoppers is a boon to department stores that are grappling to shore up growth as female shoppers are rapidly turning to online and mobile shopping channels.
A recent report by market researcher Nielsen Korea showed that women accounted for 62 percent of all shoppers who shop via their mobile gadgets.
By age, those in their 30s were most active in using mobile shopping channels, accounting for 32 percent of the total, according to the report. (Yonhap)
