This year, an unprecedented heatwave is forecasted, and the competition for the single-serve cup bingsu market among low-cost coffee brands is already fierce. In an era of high prices, it is gaining popularity due to its relatively affordable price of less than 5,000 won and word-of-mouth about its deliciousness. While the ‘apple mango bingsu’ (hereafter referred to as Aemangbing), priced over 100,000 won, became famous as a premium bingsu, brands like Mega Coffee, Compose Coffee, and Edya Coffee are targeting consumers with their cost performance.
According to the Korea Consumer Agency's Price Monitoring Center on the 8th, the domestic bingsu market is estimated to be more than 500 billion won annually since 2020. Low-cost coffee brands are also fiercely competing in the single-serve cup bingsu market. Mega MGC Coffee launched its single-serve cup bingsus, including patbingsu gelato and mangbingsu parfait, at a price of 4,400 won at the end of April. Among these, the patbingsu gelato, styled like traditional patbingsu with various toppings, is gaining word-of-mouth.
An employee surnamed Kim, 28, working at a Mega Coffee store in Mapo, Seoul, noted, “There are many days when we announce that we are out of stock due to materials running out before the deadline.” According to Mega Coffee, the cumulative sales of single-serve cup bingsus reached 1.2 million from the end of April to early June this year.
Competitor Compose Coffee's cup bingsu product, patjeolmi milkshake, and Edya Coffee's patinjeolmi single-serve bingsu are also becoming known for their cost performance, often running out of stock due to material shortages. An industry source said, “Single-serve cup bingsus are a size suitable for one person, tasty, and not too expensive, making them popular among everyone, regardless of age or gender,” and added, “As the weather begins to warm up, the popularity of single-serve bingsus will continue throughout the summer.”
Online, café employees and part-timers are producing videos of a so-called ‘bingsu bomb relay’ where they pass customers to competitors due to the surge in orders. The videos humorously highlight the difficulties faced by employees making these products, sparking consumer interest.
A college student surnamed Cha, 22, who ordered a single-serve patbingsu at an Edya Coffee store in Yeongdeungpo, Seoul, said, “The meme video of ‘café part-timers passing customers’ is popular among my friends,” adding, “I saw that and became curious about the taste, so I came to buy it.”
The industry assesses that the competitively priced single-serve cup bingsus have stimulated consumers' frozen spending psychology in this era of high prices. According to the Bank of Korea, consumer prices in April rose 2.1% compared to the same month last year. In particular, processed food prices have increased by 4.1%, leading to increased food expenses. Cup bingsu is relatively inexpensive, priced between 4,000 and 5,000 won.
Eun-hee Lee, a professor at Inha University’s Department of Consumer Studies, said, “By introducing bingsu as a single-serve cup bingsu, which was previously burdensome to eat alone, and lowering the price to below 5,000 won, it seems to be receiving a lot of attention from single-person households in this era of high prices. There are many stores, so accessibility is also good.” An industry source noted, “As the weather gets warmer, more customers will seek bingsu products,” and added, “As the number of photos and videos shared on social media increases, word-of-mouth will also grow.”