SEOUL, June 1 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's online shopping hit a record high for April thanks to soaring online car purchases, statistical ministry data showed Monday.
Shopping in cyberspace grew 10.0 percent from a year earlier to 24.13 trillion won (about 16.0 billion U.S. dollars) in April, according to the Ministry of Data and Statistics.
It marked the largest April figure since relevant data began to be compiled in 2017.
The online sale of cars and car accessories skyrocketed 154.8 percent amid surging online purchases of models from the U.S. automaker Tesla.
Online demand for mobile devices, cosmetics, and fashion items and accessories advanced in double figures, while those for food and beverage, food delivery, daily necessities, clothing, travel and transport service, home appliances and computers logged a single-digit increase.
Online transactions of e-coupon service mounted 19.6 percent amid a strong trend to provide gifts such as coffee and cake through e-coupons.
Shopping through smartphones, tablets and other mobile gadgets gained 8.6 percent over the year to 18.44 trillion won (about 12.2 billion dollars) in April, accounting for 76.4 percent of the total online shopping. ■
