Home shopping firms' sales via mobile spike in Q1

Sales at top three local home shopping companies via mobile devices shot up in the first quarter of the year from a year ago, while those based on the Internet and TV were slackening, records from the companies showed Wednesday.

Sales at CJ O Shopping Co., formerly known as CJ Home Shopping, from mobile devices rose more than four-fold to 145.3 billion won ($141.5 million) in the January-March period, compared with 35 billion won a year earlier, the company said.

Mobile sales are expected to more than double to 661.9 billion won this year compared with 305 billion won last year, it said.

But sales generated through TV shopping fell 0.4 percent to 449.8 billion won in the first quarter, and those from Internet shopping sector tumbled 24 percent to 154.6 billion won.

GS Home Shopping Inc. said it saw its sales in the mobile division grow nearly four-fold to 124.9 billion won in the first three months of the year. The company also predicted its mobile sales to more than double to 571.7 billion won this year.

Likewise, its sales through TV channels fell 2.8 percent to 460.6 billion won, and its Internet sales fell 29.4 percent to 152.2 billion won.

Hyundai Home Shopping Network Corp. said its first-quarter mobile sales more than tripled to 44.7 billion won. Its TV sales rose 12.7 percent to 459.1 billion won, and its Internet sales fell 0.8 percent to 188 billion won.

"There is a concern that a sharp growth in mobile shopping may hurt sales at home shopping's other sectors, but mobile shopping is positive in that it can attract young consumers in their 20s and 30s who prefer TV home shopping channels less," an industry official said. (Yonhap)