SEOUL, March 5 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's online shopping rose in single digits in January owing to surging demand for cars online, statistical ministry data showed Thursday.
Shopping in cyberspace increased 8.6 percent over the year to 24.10 trillion won (16.4 billion U.S. dollars) in January, according to the Ministry of Data and Statistics.
The growth was attributable to soaring online purchases of models from the U.S. carmaker Tesla. The online sales of cars and car accessories spiked 68.7 percent in the cited month.
Online sales of computers, daily necessities, cosmetics and footwear swelled in double figures, while those for food and beverage, clothing, home appliances, mobile devices and furniture gained in single digits.
Online demand for culture and leisure services advanced 23.5 percent, and demand for travel and transport services climbed 8.9 percent.
Online transactions of the e-coupon service decreased 4.1 percent amid a weakening trend to provide gifts such as coffee and cake through e-coupons.
Shopping through smartphones, tablets and other mobile gadgets was up 8.0 percent over the year to 18.86 trillion won (12.9 billion dollars) in January, accounting for 78.2 percent of the total online shopping. ■
