Coupang's food delivery application (app) Coupang Eats has launched a "shopping" category for delivering products from local stores through quick commerce (instant delivery). Flowers, cosmetics, clothing, and other products sold by individual entrepreneurs will be delivered within one hour by Coupang Eats delivery agents (riders).
According to industry sources on 4th, Coupang Eats has recently added a "shopping" tab to its app and is promoting this service to individual business stores to encourage them to join. Currently, it is being piloted in Gangnam District, Seoul, and Coupang Wow membership members can use the service with free delivery.
When entering the tab, users will see nearby fruit shops, side dish stores, butcheries, flower shops, and clothing stores in their selected area. A representative from a design accessories company that has joined Coupang Eats said, "We tried joining as an experiment, and we are receiving orders about 2 to 3 times a week."
Previously, Coupang Eats launched 'Eats Mart' at the end of 2021 to deliver grocery items and food within an hour, but scaled back the service after about two years. At that time, Coupang Eats operated the service by purchasing and storing daily necessities and fresh food at urban hub logistics centers (MFC) for delivery, and it was piloted in Gangnam, Seocho, Gangdong, and Songpa Districts, but it currently only continues in parts of Songpa District.
However, as various online and offline competing distribution platforms, including delivery apps, Emart, Naver, and Daiso, strengthen their quick commerce, the business is taking on a new shape. Instead of the previous method of directly purchasing and delivering products, it has introduced an open market system that connects individual business stores to deliver their products, thereby increasing operational efficiency. According to the industry, the domestic quick commerce market is estimated to be worth 5 trillion won annually as of 2025.
Woowa Brothers, which operates Baedal Minjok (Baemin), is said to have an annual transaction volume of its "shopping and shopping" quick commerce business reach into the trillions. The company’s 'B Mart', which operates by directly purchasing products, saw sales of 756.8 billion won last year, a 10% increase compared to the previous year, and achieved its first profit based on earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA). In addition, Baemin is currently operating an open market-type quick commerce with over 10,000 stores including convenience stores from four companies (GS25, CU, Seven-Eleven, Emart24) and large supermarkets and corporate supermarkets (SSM) catering to individual entrepreneurs.
Yogiyo is also expanding its quick commerce business linked to its parent company GS Retail's business sectors, including convenience stores and corporate supermarkets. After Heo Seo-hong became the head last year, GS Retail has been strengthening the service by upgrading the Quick Commerce Division within its platform business unit (BU) under the O4O (Online for Offline) sector. Naver is also expected to introduce quick commerce later this year under the name "Now Delivery."
Some view that as competition with industry leader Baemin intensifies, Coupang Eats is reviving its quick commerce business. Baemin has recently pursued exclusive partnerships with large restaurant franchises such as Kyochon Chicken. The focus is on partnering exclusively with Baemin, Yogiyo, the public delivery app Ddaengyeyo, and Kyochon Chicken's own app.
Currently, Coupang Eats is testing its quick commerce business by connecting with individual entrepreneurs, rather than corporations. According to the industry, it plans to officially launch its service across Seoul as early as the third quarter of this year. It is known to be cautiously observing market reactions.
A representative from a delivery app company noted, "Given our capability for ‘fast delivery,’ expanding into non-food sectors is an inevitable strategy for improving business efficiency, and it will also provide an opportunity to expand infrastructure for merchants in difficult alley markets."