Online sales of bikinis soar 53 percent year-on-year: market data

[Getty Images Bank]

SEOUL -- Online sales of bikinis soared 53 percent between May 12 and June 11, compared to the same period a year ago, online sales data released by W Concept, the online fashion platform wing of South Korea's retail giant Shinsegae, showed. The company said swimwear items are gaining popularity thanks to increased demands for domestic and overseas travel during the summer vacation season in July and August.   
  
During the last one-month period, sales of female swimsuits including rash guards, bikinis, and swimwear cover-ups designed to hide parts of consumers' bodies have significantly increased by 36 percent year-on-year, W Concept said on June 13. Black and white swim clothes were favored by female customers. Sales of male swimsuits also increased by 20 percent. The fashion platform operator said the number of male customers looking for swimwear-related products is expected to increase followed by growing demands for overseas travel and various events set to take place at domestic beaches.
 
Without disclosing sales volume, W Concept said bikini sales increased 53 percent between May 12 and June 11 compared to a year ago. Bikini items with unique designs such as cropped tube tops and high-neck halter tops were popular among female consumers. According to the online fashion platform, demands for bikinis have grown because of a new trend in which women tend to match their bikinis with everyday wear items such as wide denim pants.

According to data released by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the number of international flight passengers in South Korea skyrocketed to some 9.8 million in the first quarter of 2023 from about 619,000 in Q1 2022. Since the fourth quarter of 2022, Japan, Taiwan, and Macau have resumed visa-free travel for South Koreans, which had been suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
In a survey of 26,000 South Korean people, conducted by market research firm Consumer Insight, about 68 percent have traveled to at least one domestic tourist spot in the first quarter of 2023. In 2020, when the country suffered from the epidemic, only about 58 percent of people traveled domestically.