The number of foreign regular customers visiting CJ Olive Young's "Ol Young Sale" has been rising.
Held four times a year in March, June, September and December, the Ol Young Sale is a large-scale event featuring more than 1,500 beauty brands, offering a snapshot of the latest K-beauty trends each season.
According to an analysis of foreign customer data by Olive Young and Global Tax Free (GTF), the number of foreigners who visited Korea to shop for K-beauty during the Ol Young Sale in March and June this year rose 11-fold from three years ago.
Foreign visitors who return to Korea at least twice a year to coincide with the sale have been increasing sharply, at an average annual rate of twofold since 2023. In particular, about 6,200 foreign tourists revisited Korea three times or more during last year's sale period to enjoy the Ol Young Sale. Given the tax refund process, which requires travelers to leave the country within a certain period, they appear to have returned home after their visit and then come back to Korea again.
The Ol Young Sale, which has become a tourism attraction, is also contributing to spending growth outside the Seoul metropolitan area, in line with the K-dailycation trend of enjoying everyday life in Korea. During this June's sale, foreign sales at stores outside the capital region jumped 72% from a year earlier, far outpacing the national average of 45%.
Even overseas customers who could not visit Korea in person joined the sale online, and traffic to OLIVE YOUNG Global also rose more than 180% from a year earlier during the same period. Launched in 2019, OLIVE YOUNG Global showcases a wide range of K-beauty and wellness products through seasonal sales, recording strong short-term sales growth and serving as a platform for emerging brands to build global recognition.
Olive Young said it will continue strengthening its K-beauty curation for foreign customers visiting Korea for the Ol Young Sale, while also upgrading convenience services at stores in major tourism districts, including by introducing shopping support devices. Through these efforts, the company aims to contribute not only to K-beauty but also to K-tourism.
Kim So-hyung, Sportschosun
