Online shopping purchases continue to rise in October

SEJONG, Dec. 3 (Yonhap) -- Purchases made using the Internet and mobile devices in South Korea continued to show solid growth in October, government data showed Tuesday, demonstrating the popularity of smartphones, fast delivery and convenient payment options with local shoppers.

The total value of transactions made with computers, smartphones and tablets reached 11.8 trillion won (US$9.9 billion) in October, up 17.3 percent from a year earlier, according to the data from Statistics Korea.

The sharp rise was attributed to increased demand for food, clothes and daily necessities, the agency said.

The total value of mobile transactions gained 23.2 percent on year to 7.6 trillion won, accounting for 65 percent of all online purchases in October.

Mobile purchases in South Korea have been on a steep rise for years as smart devices expand their presence in the world's most wired country and rapidly replace computers as the means of conducting online transactions.

kdh@yna.co.kr
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