Bo-eun leads the digital content team. She has covered foreign affairs, North Korea, tech, economy and gender issues at The Korea Times. She did a short stint at the South China Morning Post in Hong Kong, where she obtained a new perspective on news production and life. Small sources of joy for her are lounging in the sun, having a good latte and swimming.
Selfie-sticks, Kinfolk to top 2015 trends
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A family takes a selfie during New Year's Eve celebrations in Times Square. / Yonhap
By Kim Bo-eun
By Kim Bo-eun
Selfie-sticks, Kinfolk and “showrooming” are some key trends for this year, according to trend analyst Kim Yong-sub in his latest book “Life Trend 2015.”
Kinfolk
U.S. lifestyle magazine Kinfolk is garnering increasing attention in Korea not only as a publication but also as a way of life.
Kinfolk is all about leading a simple, slow lifestyle. It’s about making home-cooked meals, taking care of your home and spending time with family and friends.
The focus on well-being and “healing” has previously been a trend, but it mainly centered on consumerism. People went out to restaurants for good food, spent their vacations abroad and paid for yoga classes. However, this phase has passed, Kim says. People who’ve become tired of spending have started turning to a simpler sort of lifestyle.
Selfie-stick
The Korean public became familiar with the selfie-stick through “Youth over Flowers,” a travel-reality show that aired over the summer and fall of 2014.
The selfie-stick originated from equipment used in the film industry _ a camera attached to a helmet to get better footage.
The demand for the selfie stick grew in line with people’s wish to take better photos of themselves to post on social media. The stick, which can extend to up to one meter, enables people to take selfies that capture not only the person’s face but also their surroundings.
While the selfie-stick was predominantly used by people to take photos during vacations or special occasions, they have now settled in people’s daily lives.
Showrooming
Information technology is bringing brick-and-mortar stores down. Consumers may visit department stores and road shops, but they will not emerge with any shopping bags. They will browse, but at the same time search on their smartphones to find where they can get the product of their choice at the cheapest price.
This is because online malls offer the lowest prices, as they are able to shave retail costs. Hence, offline stores now serve merely as showrooms.
Online shopping has also enabled direct purchasing from abroad. Customers can now get a hold of products of foreign brands at the same costs they are sold in the countries they are based in, with an increasing number of brands offering overseas shipping services.
There are also multi-brand online stores that have seasonal sales as well as online retailers such as Amazon. Consumers, equipped with information technology, are now the ones in power, Kim says.