Online shopping hits record high in August amid Tesla sales surge

Online shopping sales in Korea increased 6.6 percent from a year earlier to a record high for any August, driven by strong sales of Tesla vehicles and rising demand for food services, data showed Wednesday. The value of online shopping transactions stood at 22.48 trillion won ($15.56 billion) in August, up 1.39 trillion won from a year earlier, according to the data from the Ministry of Data and Statistics. It marks the highest figure for any August since 2017, when the ministry began compiling the data. Formerly known as Statistics Korea, the agency was reorganized into the ministry under the recent government restructuring. The growth was led by the increase in automobiles and auto parts, which jumped 55.1 percent from a year earlier, amid strong sales and higher deliveries of Tesla's models, which are sold through an online order system. According to the Korea Automobile Importers & Distributors Association, Tesla sold 7,974 units in August, including the Model Y, maintaining its position as the top imported car brand for the second straight month after selling 7,357 units in July. SalWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times