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CJ Olive Young partners with Don Quijote, UnionPay, Alipay to target foreign tourists
Customers visit Olive Young N Seongsu in Seoul’s Seongdong District in this February photo. Courtesy of CJ Olive Young
By Ko Dong-hwan
CJ Olive Young, a major beauty retail platform, is stepping up discount events for foreign visitors to Korea as it seeks to cement its status as a go-to K-beauty hub for tourists.
The initiatives involve partnerships with major overseas retailers and digital wallet service providers, with promotional deals offered at selected Olive Young stores in key tourist areas across Korea.
Beginning Monday and running through March, 14 Olive Young stores — including those in Seoul’s trendy areas of Myeong-dong, Seongsu-dong and Hongdae — are offering a promotion for members of Don Quijote, a major Japanese retailer. Customers who spend 80,000 won ($55) or more will receive a 4,000-won discount coupon along with an Olive Young pouch.
Users of major Chinese digital wallet apps are also eligible for discount perks.
UnionPay users can receive a 10 percent discount on purchases of 100,000 won or more at Olive Young stores in Korea through March 19. Alipay users, from Thursday through Feb. 25, can get a 15 yuan ($2.16) discount on purchases of 15 yuan or more. WeChat Pay users, from Feb. 9 to March 7, can receive discounts of 20, 50 and 80 yuan on purchases of 200, 500 and 880 yuan, respectively.
The promotion comes as Korea is expected to see a surge in Chinese tourists during the one-week Lunar New Year holiday, which begins Feb. 17.
Additionally, users of Wow Pass, a prepaid card service for foreign tourists in Korea, will also benefit from the promotion. From Feb. 15 to 22, a 5 percent discount will be offered on purchases of 100,000 won or more.
Olive Young has also begun selling vouchers to tourists even before they board flights to Seoul, to spur their travel planning in connection with its stores here. Under the program, Trip.com has designated hotels participating in the promotion with Olive Young, offering customers coupons worth 5,000 won and 30,000 won for use at Olive Young stores if they spend more than 100,000 won and 300,000 won, respectively, on hotel reservations.
Major e-commerce platforms in Vietnam and Japan began selling Olive Young mobile vouchers this month, following a similar promotion launched last year by Klook, another travel platform.
“We are seeing steady growth in the number of foreign visitors seeking to experience Korean lifestyles across beauty, fashion and food. As a K-beauty platform, we must provide greater convenience in shopping for tourists,” an Olive Young official said.