Selling Food to Korea on Coupang

If you’re selling food cross-border, it’s time to join and list your products on Coupang Marketplace. Food (including health supplements) is one of the most popular categories sold on Coupang to Korea. With approximately 18 million customers shopping for their everyday needs, listing your items on Coupang is a logical step for any seller who wants to give their food items the best chance for sales success.

With approximately 19 million customers shopping for their everyday needs, listing your items on Coupang is a logical step for any seller who wants to give their food items the best chance for sales success. Coupang is also the 4th largest e-Commerce market after China, the US, & UK.  

When it comes to cross-border online sales, food is one of the most popular product categories. In 2021, it comprised 26% of all cross-border online purchases. In fact, according to Q3 2023 data from Mezzo Media, the products most frequently purchased online in Korea by people of all ages are food and everyday consumer goods. 

What are some popular food items? Health supplements are consistently high performers and coffee capsules are also mainstays in Coupang’s top sellers. According to trend reports conducted in June of 2023, there is currently a high demand for health products, including top supplement items such as Sanotact beauty yeast supplements, Orthomol Immun multi-vitamins, Centrum Multi-Vitamins, Life Extension Vitamin, and more. Coffee brands such as Illy and Starbucks are trending, with many purchases of both coffee and coffee machines. 

Aside from health supplements and coffee capsules, health foods from the U.S., such as protein powders, protein bars, and snack are extremely popular for the Korean consumer. Some featured categories in 2023 include chocolate, chocolate bundles, jelly, candy, snacks, and cocoa. Popular items in these categories include Quest Nutrition, Atkins, Kinder Joy, Mentos, Fisher SlimFast, Meji Hello Panda, Orea, Nestle, Hershey’s, and many more.  

According to Naver, the most popular international selection searches from the past year under the Food category include: 

• Omega-3 
• Glutathione 
• Bottled Water 
• Collagen 
• Rice 
• Coffee Mix 
• Orthomol Immun 
• Sweet Potato 
• Vitamin C 
• Protein Supplements 
• Pepsi Zero/ Pepsi soda 
• Biotin 
• Vitamin D 
• Magnesium  
• Cup Noodles 

Many sellers have found their key to success through selling on Coupang – just take Hyunkyu Kang, founder of Tivine. He had a revelation after a trip overseas where he found his passion for tea and began to sell on Coupang. Korean customers are highly discerning and it was important for Kang to build up his brand through accumulating more reviews. Kang found that a great way to boost reviews for his products was to include samples of newer teas with his tried and true products. Kang also made sure he stayed on top of trends such introducing low calorie options and flavors like Dalgona, which became popular after the hit Netflix show “Squid Games”. Since then, he has been able to sway audiences with his ability to stay on top of food trends, an important factor in a trend-driven country like Korea 

How much does it cost to sell food on Coupang? First, it’s important to remember that signing up to Coupang is free. Once you listing products and start making sales, you will be charged a sales commission rate between 7.6 to 10.9% depending on the exact category.

What are some popular food items? Health supplements are consistently high performers and coffee capsules are also mainstays in Coupang’s top sellers. Aside from health supplements and coffee capsules, health foods such as protein powders and exotic chocolate are also in high demand.

To find out more about selling food on Coupang Marketplace, check the guide for food sellers here.