Online shopping sales in Korea rose 13.3 percent from a year earlier to a new monthly high in March, driven by strong demand for Tesla vehicles and transactions in food services, government data showed Monday.

 

The value of online shopping stood at 25.58 trillion won ($17.37 billion) in March, up 3.03 trillion won from a year earlier, according to the data from the Ministry of Data and Statistics.

 

The figure marked the highest monthly level since 2017, when the ministry began compiling related data.

 

Spending on automobiles and auto accessories surged 109.9 percent from a year earlier, supported by Tesla models sold through online ordering systems.

 

Sales of food services climbed 14.2 percent from a year earlier, while that of food and beverages jumped 13.3 percent on year, the latest findings showed.

 

Purchases made through smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices rose 11.6 percent from a year earlier to 19.4 trillion won, also setting a new record.

 

 

 

Yonhap