The departure of the air fryer called Shinsegae… Korean trend too fast Park Han-shin’s commerce stock

It seems that there is no other country where fashion passes as quickly as Korea. As with all trends, I thought of that while looking at the ‘air fryer’, which was considered a universal cooking device. This is because it was a symbol of ‘culinary innovation’, but its prestige has waned in recent years.

Electronic Land, a general home appliance retailer, looked at air fryer sales this year (until September 12) and said that it decreased by 11% compared to the same period last year. Last year alone, sales increased by 86% compared to 2019. Within a year, its popularity has rapidly declined.

There are kitchen appliances that have replaced these air fryers. It is an ‘electric oven’. When E-Land surveyed the sales of electric ovens during the same period this year, sales increased by a whopping 137% compared to last year. Electric ovens more than doubled while air fryers lagged 11%.

Last year, when sales of air fryers increased by 86%, sales of electric ovens grew only 4%. Considering this, it is interpreted that electric ovens are showing growth that is more than enough to absorb the demand for air fryers. I remember hearing the saying “There is such a thing as an air fryer” only 3 or 4 years ago, but I feel terrified.

E-Land interprets this as “the home cook trend is also evolving”. As the COVID-19 outbreak continues and the spread does not subside, consumers are looking for more sophisticated cooking appliances.

An official from Electronic Land said, “It is understood that consumers are looking for an electric oven that can utilize the advantages of oven cooking as it is to make more colorful food. Oven cooking can make it taste better.”

The electric oven is said to be good for kitchen space efficiency as it can use several functions, including oven cooking, with one product. For this reason, it is said to be popular among young couples and single or two-person households.

An official from E-Land said, “Due to the prolonged Corona 19, big and small changes are taking place in the ‘home-cooked’ and ‘home-cooked’ trends.” As ‘home cook’ is becoming a ‘new normal’ beyond a hobby, new kitchen appliances are expected to gain popularity in the future. I wonder when and which kitchen appliances will give way to electric ovens. I can see why global companies consider Korea to be the front-line market for testing new products.

By Park Han-shin, staff reporter phs@hankyung.com

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