Consumer demand for Chuseok holiday gifts in South Korea is shifting rapidly toward high-end health-care devices and labor-saving home appliances, according to a recent consumer survey released by Bodofriend and local retail data. Traditional food gift sets are taking a back seat to products like robotic massage chairs, robot vacuums, and food waste disposers, prompting major electronics manufacturers to roll out aggressive promotional campaigns ahead of the holiday.
Holiday Gift Preferences Shift to Healthcare and Chores
According to a mobile survey conducted by open-survey platform OpenSurvey on behalf of Bodofriend—polling 500 adults aged 20 and older nationwide—44% of respondents selected healthcare robots and massage chairs as the holiday gift they would most want to receive, allowing for multiple choices. Robot vacuums followed closely at 30%, while food waste disposers captured 22%. Air purifiers and humidifiers drew 13%, dryers took 12.4%, and clothing care systems rounded out the list at 12%, according to Bodofriend’s data.
Middle-aged and older demographics displayed the strongest preference for health-care gadgets. Among respondents in their 40s, 49.6% chose healthcare robots and massage chairs, while those in their 50s registered an identical sentiment at 50.5%. Even among adults aged 60 and older, 44.0% selected massage devices as their top choice. When asked why, 77.1% of those favoring massage chairs cited perceived health benefits, while 33.1% pointed to frequent anticipated usage, and 21.0% noted that family members had actively wanted the item.
Manufacturer Chuseok Promotions and Discounts
Major wellness and home appliance brands are capitalizing on the seasonal shift by launching extensive promotional discounts throughout September. Bodofriend launched a promotional campaign running through September 31, offering up to 352만원 상당의 혜택 in combined benefits—including advance deposits, promotional price cuts, and affiliate card discounts—across 15 different models, including its wearable AI healthcare robot “733,” the Quantum AI Pro, and the Davinci AI Pro.
Competitor Ceragem is running its own Chuseok promotions through September 30, following the recent retail renewal of its spinal care medical device, the “Master V9 2027.” Ceragem is offering up to 최대 70만원 in discounts on its Master V collection and up to 최대 60만원 on its Pause M collection, targeting newlyweds and younger 2030 demographics alongside traditional parent buyers.
Major Electronics Brands Expand Household Appliance Deals
Comprehensive home appliance giants Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics are also driving heavy sales traffic through mid-September. Samsung’s “Samdot Chuseok Special Exhibition,” running through September 30, offers a 7% payment-day discount for purchases over 500,000 won made via Samsung, KB Kookmin, or Lotte cards, along with up to 500,000 won in cash-back rewards for Samsung cardholders. Samsung is also providing up to 최대 600만원 상당의 삼성전자 멤버십 포인트 in membership points for shoppers bundling multiple major appliances.
LG Electronics is running its “Healing Me” massage chair exhibition through September 30, offering special purchase discounts and mobile app coupon packages on models such as the MX6, MX8, and Arte. In addition to wellness chairs, both Samsung and LG have divided their holiday marketing streams to feature robotic vacuums, air purifiers, and clothing care systems like LG’s Styler via dedicated live-commerce broadcasts.
The Rise of Labor-Saving Appliances
Industry analysts note that the high ranking of robot vacuums in second place and food waste disposers in third signals a major behavioral change among gift-givers, who increasingly value minimizing household chores during family holidays. Modern robotic vacuums have evolved beyond basic floor sweeping to feature automated mop washing, hot-air drying, and advanced obstacle avoidance, supercharging market competition among Samsung, LG, and Roborock.
“Gift-giving trends have shifted away from items that are consumed once and forgotten toward products that parents and family members can use every single day,” an industry official stated, according to reporting by Segye Ilbo. “Competition among brands targeting health management and labor-saving home appliances will only intensify around the holiday season.”
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