South Korean convenience stores' payment value exceeds 12.5 trillion won in first four months

South Korea's major convenience store chains have experienced consistent growth, with their combined payment value surpassing 12.56 trillion won between January and April 2024. This figure marks a 3.1% rise from the previous year, totaling 380 billion won more in transactions.

The analysis, based on payment data from WiseApp·Retail, covers four leading brands: GS25, CU, Seven-Eleven, and Emart24. Their collective payment value has steadily increased over the past four years, rising from 9.98 trillion won in the first four months of 2022 to 12.56 trillion won in the same period of 2024. This represents a significant 25.9% jump from four years ago.

Among the brands, GS25 led in total payment value during the surveyed period. CU followed, with Seven-Eleven and Emart24 trailing. When looking at average monthly payment frequency, GS25 also ranked first, with CU in second place. Other notable platforms like Coupang, Naver/Naver Pay, and Seven-Eleven also appeared in the rankings.

It is important to note that this data is an estimate based on credit and debit card payment details from Koreans aged 20 and older. It excludes peer-to-peer transfers, cash transactions, gift certificates, prepaid cards, and business-to-business transactions, meaning it may differ from official sales figures reported by individual companies.