The services sector is the largest contributor to South Korea’s GDP, where it accounts for about 54%, and employs about 70% of the active workforce. The economy is dominated by chaebols, or family-owned conglomerates. The entertainment industry, fuelled by the K-wave, also contributes significantly to the economy.
South Korean consumers are well-educated with high literacy rates. With its development in IT infrastructure and high-speed internet, South Koreans are also very tech-savvy, relying heavily on social media when making purchase decisions.
Consumers also trust brands endorsed by social media influencers.
South Korea has a strong culture of collectivism and seniority. They are more likely to submit to collective ideas, and juniors are more likely to defer to the opinions of their seniors. Hence, this affects the accuracy of the results in focus group discussions. South Korea is also a relatively homogeneous country with minor regional differences. Therefore, it is possible to just do fieldwork in the metropolitan Seoul.
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